Glass Bird
by Violet Horizon
Summary: Amongst the bright colors of the spiraling dresses of the ladies and the whirling cloaks of the gentlemen, was one figure that stood out from the rest. He wasn't dancing like the others. He was just standing on the other side of the room, staring back at Ciel with wine colored eyes behind a crow mask layered in sleek, black feathers. Seb x Fem!Ciel smut. AU/OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kuroshitsuji

**A/N:** So it's spring break for me so I finally got some free time to do some writing and updating. I'll be updating Artificial Lives soon, but first I've been wanting to get this done for a while. In this fic, Ciel's a girl, but the only reason I made him a girl was because I wanted to put him in a dress without forcing him to wear one. I have already done that a few times, and didn't feel like doing it again. But if you don't like Fem!Ciel, you could pretend she's a he. But since he's a she, she'll be OOC and this is probably going to be the most OOC I will ever make out of Ciel, plus it'll probably be the only time I do some gender bending. Love you Ciel but you look pretty as a girl and I've been seeing more fan art of you in your robin dress lately than your regular clothes, so I couldn't help it.

**Warning:** OOCness and smut

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The evening was young and the merry guests came frolicking into the ballroom. They were all dressed elegantly in stunning attire, accompanied by masks that concealed their faces. They spun across the marble floor in waves of brilliant colors that were reflected off by the dazzling chandeliers overhead. Harmonious music played, setting a carefree and joyous atmosphere amongst the jubilant gathering.

Trombones, violins, oboes and a piano blended together beautifully to revivify the room, as opposed to the bitter coldness of winter from outside. Snow was cascading from the sky after a ruthless storm, coating the countryside in a white blanket. The Midfords were hosting the party and were worried that they wouldn't be able to have it due to the weather, but now it was over. It was Lady Elizabeth's nineteenth birthday and she had invited all of her friends and family to celebrate this night with a masquerade ball.

Lizzy wore a sparkling pink and gold ball gown with puffy sleeves and a large bow tied to her back. A cream dyed rabbit mask made her green eyes stand out as she scanned the hall. Since everyone was wearing a mask, it was difficult to tell who was who, but Lizzy could easily spot her cousin, Ciel.

Ciel was standing in front of one of the windows that were veiled in pearly white drapery. The eighteen year old was wearing a cerulean ball gown that flowed out like the buds of a flower, complemented with colorful ribbons that ranged from emerald green to violet. An elegant peacock mask adorned her facial features, accompanied with curved feathers that were clustered to the right side of the mask. Ciel wasn't too pleased with the dress since it was rather hard to move around in, but her aunt kept begging her to wear it for tonight.

Ciel kept her distance from the crowd, she was one of the few guests who wasn't dancing, and was fine with that. Observing the entertainment was better than being a part of it; it saves from messing up and making a fool of yourself. Ciel didn't like going to parties, but since it was Lizzy's birthday she made an exception.

"Ciel!" Lizzy waved frantically to her cousin and ran up to her. She raised the hem of her dress and scurried over to Ciel's side, taker her hands in her own as she squealed. "You look absolutely dashing! You might even be prettier than me!"

"Lizzy! You shouldn't shout out my name like that." Ciel remarked, Lizzy was being so loud, especially since she called her name across the hall. Ciel didn't want to be notice due to embarrassment.

"But how can I not say hi to my darling cousin?" Lizzy inquired with a sweet giggle.

"Lizzy . . ." Ciel sighed; her shoulders slouched and glanced at the guests who didn't take notice of the two. Lizzy continued to babble on about how cute Ciel was, but the latter was paying little attention as her eyes wandered.

Amongst the bright colors of the spiraling dresses of the ladies and the whirling cloaks of the gentlemen, was one figure that stood out from the rest. He wasn't dancing like the others. He was just standing on the other side of the room, staring back at Ciel with wine colored eyes behind a crow mask layered in sleek, black feathers. There was the addition of a short, black and silver beaded beak poked out in the middle, ending at the top lip. The mask concealed his entire face except for his curved lips and eyes, like he was shrouded in shadows.

He was clad entirely in black with no trace of any color aside from his peculiar, stern eyes that didn't leave Ciel's sight. He held an unearthly, eerie air as he stood under the chandelier's heavenly glow. It was as if Death himself was standing just a few feet away.

Ciel broke the gaze, uncomfortable being stared at and decided to hide her presence within the crowd, or perhaps leave the room. Her high heels clicked at an even rhythm as she sauntered, avoiding the dancers who were enclosed in their own domain. She heard Lizzy calling out to her but her voice was subsided by the music.

Ciel fastened her pace, holding the hem of her dress so she didn't trip. She wasn't used to wearing high heels since she usually wore flat shoes, so it was quite irritating walking across the overly polished floor while passing through the crowd.

But before Ciel could get far, she was confronted with the man in the crow mask. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere, Ciel didn't expect him to catch up to her so fast. He was poised with elegance and was tall and slender but no one else was aware of his presence except for her.

The man effortlessly walked across the hall in gradual steps with ease. The music became inaudible in Ciel's head and her heartbeat appeared to be the only sound. The man was now towering before her, blocking the view of the other dancers who were oblivious to the pair.

"It is rather rude for a young lady such as yourself to try to leave the ballroom without anyone to escort you, especially without having a dance." The man remarked in a calm, silky tone.

Ciel frowned in return but that was all she could really do since she stood there immobilized, caught in the man's gaze. The man smiled, lips just like a crow's. He bowed his head and crossed a black-gloved hand over his chest.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" The man asked, lending out his hand gracefully in a respectful manner. His delicate voice kept drawing Ciel in; like slipping into a trance.

Ciel leisurely brought out her hand and she was led into the man's hold. He held her small back firmly but securely and led onward with the dance. The music slowed with a piano playing, setting the tone for a waltz. The man spun Ciel around, keeping in rhythm with the steady music as they swayed with the other dancers. But every once in a while, the music increased and Ciel found herself spinning at a fast rate. Her dress blossomed out as it twirled around her small frame. The ribbons flew and the satin fabrics tossed and whirled.

Then the music halted, and the drone hum of a violin emitted, returning back to a steady descant. The man guided Ciel back to his embrace, swaying her about much slowly. Ciel's dress still fluttered, sweeping across the floor with her heels clicking in gentle taps.

The man was tall so Ciel had to look straight up at him, meeting his enigmatic gaze that didn't leave her. He still had that smile, devilish and conniving, which made Ciel slightly hesitant, like she was some prey who couldn't escape. Nonetheless, Ciel felt a strange comfort as she was immersed in the soothing music and was held in such an engaging way. The dancers were nonexistent so it appeared to be just them on the ballroom floor.

Ciel managed to drop her gaze and glanced at her heels, careful not to step on the man's feet. Suddenly they stopped midway through as they slipped from the crowd. The man brought the teen over to the back of the room where they were partially hidden from the gathering. The man slid a finger under Ciel's chin, raising her head up so that they were face to face again. Ciel gulped down at how close she was to him, gaining another tingling sensation that she couldn't describe.

"You're a fine dancer, my lady." The man subtly chuckled; his voice was mesmerizing, it contrasted from the piano solo that was currently playing in the background. The keys rung like little bells, chiming in together melodically. His voice on the other hand was deep but clear, emphasizing each word nobly that would make any women's heart stop. Ciel's heart however, was beating rapidly like it was going to burst.

The man's face was so close to hers that her voice got caught in her throat when she tried to speak. He was still holding her firmly; one arm now wrapped around her waist while the other was holding her chin. Ciel's instinct to break free was halted and her mind was racing. She then became aware of the rich, sweet smell of roses that was almost intoxicating.

The man pulled her in more so her body was pressed against his. He gripped her waist tightly and kept her head back as he leaned in. His lips met hers, an affectionate kiss that left Ciel stunned when he broke off. The smell intensified and Ciel stood there dazed, enthralled, but couldn't help but lean in herself for another. This time the kiss was longer and the man slipped his tongue into her mouth.

A shiver of pleasure shot through Ciel and her knees quaked beneath her. The kiss deepened and Ciel sunk into submission as the room started to spin. Next thing she knew, she was in a different room and was pinned against a wall. The room was only lit by the moon's light that slipped through the Palladian window. It was a small room that didn't hold much, but was enough for privacy.

The music was vaguely heard from the ballroom, but the quiet melody of a music box was now playing. The box stood on top of a table, next to a window where it was bathed in the moon's silver light. A glass bird was perched on a branch, spinning around gradually as the soft music played. Its wings were held up, as if to take flight. Its head was lopsided, gestured to the loop branch.

The music box was playing a little tune, quiet but emitted throughout the dimly lit room. The man took hold of Ciel's mask, lifting it up over her face to get a better look. Ciel's eyes resembled glass, clear and flawless like a doll's as they stared wordlessly at the man. He brushed the back of his hand across her rosy cheek, taking privilege of the teen's soft touch and yearned for more.

He kissed her again, tongue slithering in and out as he pressed her against the wall. Ciel moaned inaudibly, closing her eyes and kissing back. She was entranced as the man continued to kiss and touch her. He lent a hand to Ciel's back where there were buttons binding the dress together. He snapped the buttons off with the flick of his fingers and unraveled the sleeves, revealing more of the teen's skin.

Ciel's face flushed faintly, watching shyly as the man pulled up the hem of her dress. The patches of red brushed across Ciel's cheeks deepened. The man ran a hand up Ciel's thigh, his glove was off and Ciel could feel his warm digits exploring her skin. Ciel shivered pleasurably, then gasped when her underwear was pulled down.

Ciel's legs trembled but the man held her hips to keep her steady. She couldn't believe this was happening. How did it get from dancing to this? It wasn't right, she shouldn't be in this situation, but yet, she wanted it.

The man stood over her again and cupped her face, caressing a thumb over her jawline. He smiled softly, comforting her before he could begin, but wanted a response. Ciel's voice was gone so she could only just nod in approval. The wall wasn't the most reassuring place, so he brought Ciel over to a couch. The teen laid down upon the cushions while the man hovered above.

The man had taken off his clothes but kept the mask on. Ciel reached to take off the mask, but the man held her hand back, preventing her from doing so. Ciel frowned slightly, wondering why she wasn't allowed to see his face. She could only just observe his half-lidded eyes and smile. The sleek black feathers that caught drops of the moon's light blocked everything else.

The music box kept on playing its light tune, repeating a pattern of notes that rose and fell with delicate pitches. The man held to Ciel's twitching hands while he proceeded into her, grunting lightly while Ciel's moans grew louder at each thrust. His body rocked back and forth, hips grinding against the teen. The melody rung harmonically, a quiet tune that was soon overcome by Ciel's moans that were a pleasure to the man's ears.

Ciel panted blissfully, her breathing rushing as an overwhelming heat coursed through her. Her legs jerked and hands anticipated to break free from the man's hold. The masked man's smile grew, savoring this idyllic moment with every chance he had. It was far too loud and chaotic in the ballroom, no place for privacy. But here in this isolated room was perfect, there was nothing to interrupt them.

Gray clouds covered up the moon and snow started to fall again. Steadily they showered down in tiny flakes, drifting at a slow rate, akin with the music box that was finally starting to end. The remaining rays of the silver light were cast over the box, where the bird was taking its final turn around. The last of the melody rung in slow pitches, just as a blissful cry tore out from Ciel's lips as they climaxed

Ciel raised her head up high before collapsing back onto the cushions. The man pulled himself out, leaving a trail of cum in between her legs. He leaned down and planted a kiss on the crook of her neck while Ciel's droopy lids gazed wearily at the ceiling. She then eyed the man as her breathing slowed and heart rate returned back to normal. Ciel opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words as only her hasty breath slipped out.

The man smiled before kissing her once more, another long lasting one that was like a drug as exhaustion took its toll. Ciel's eyes blurred and could only just vaguely watch as the man changed back to his dark attire, akin to the shadows that were enveloping the room. He leaned down and whispered soothing words of goodnight before departing within the darkness.

It took a while for Ciel to get back to her senses, and when she did she wondered what just happened. She only knew this man for a few minutes and instantly they made love. She doesn't even know what he looks like without the mask, or even got a name. Ciel was being so reckless and her parents would kill her if they ever found out, but the worst thing about it was that she enjoyed it.

Ciel ran a hand through her hair as she sat herself up on the couch, annoyed at herself but tried to keep it together. Ciel then realized that she was completely alone in the room and the man was nowhere to be seen. She needed to find him, there was no way he could just go off like that. After getting herself together, Ciel hurried out of the room.

The blaring commotion of the crowd and music blasted out unexpectedly when Ciel entered the ballroom. The room flashed with so much light and color as the loud music boomed and the guests danced with the upbeat melody. Ciel frantically searched through the crowd, looking for any signs of the man in the crow mask. After searching for a while, Ciel came across Lizzy who was watching the dancers with a joyful gleam in her eyes.

"Lizzy!" Ciel exclaimed, pushing his way through the guests and hurrying to her cousin's side. She was breathless after searching all over the massive ballroom.

"Hi, Ciel! Enjoying the party?" Lizzy asked gleefully.

"Yeah, sure, have you seen a man in a crow mask?" Ciel inquired rather abruptly.

Lizzy's cheerful demeanor suddenly wavered and she tilted her head, tapping her chin. She pursed her lips questionably, which made Ciel rather puzzled as well.

"What man in a crow mask?"

"He's tall, wears all black and has this mask that covers his entire face with feathers." Ciel exclaimed, not understanding how Lizzy wouldn't know. Shouldn't she be aware of all of her guests since it was her party?

Lizzy crossed her arms and took a second to think, but then she shook her head. "I never saw anyone here with that sort of description. I told all the guests to wear colorful and cute outfits, and that's completely the opposite."

"Wh—what?" Ciel stammered, taken aback. "But I was dancing with him and we—uh, he was here I swear!"

Lizzy only just bore a perplexed expression; indicating that she never saw such a person. She would've certainly known about him, but apparently she didn't which only just threw Ciel off.

"I'm sorry. . . I didn't tell anyone to wear black because it's such a sad color, so everyone here is wearing bright, cheerful colors, no black in sight." Lizzy continued, feeling apologetic that she couldn't help her cousin, nor understand what she was talking about.

Now that Lizzy mentioned it, no else seemed to have seen, or caught a glimpse of the man besides Ciel, but how could that be? The teen's face paled as she tried to comprehend this, but she was left baffled. Ciel then broke off into a run and hurried out of the ballroom, avoiding from this merrily crowd that were too oblivious as they laughed and danced, while Ciel grew frantic.

She wandered down the long corridors; looking into each room she came across but didn't find the masked man. _Where the hell is he?_ Ciel kept on pondering, slamming each door shut and turning the corner for the next hallway.

When the teen was about to give up, she heard the soft tune of a music box. Her eyes widened gradually at the sound, chiming quite loudly as it drove her to follow it. Ciel turned around and headed towards the music which sped up while Ciel's heart pounded rapidly. She couldn't be the only one hearing this; it can't all be in her head.

Once she burst into the new room that was cloaked in the dying moon's pale light, the music suddenly stopped. It was utterly quiet and the sweet smell of roses provoked the air. But what made it more unsettling was the object perched on the windowsill, gestured towards Ciel. If it had all the features of a face, the crow mask would be smiling at her.

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**A/N: **I had a bit of trouble with the ending, but I wanted to keep it mysterious. However, there's a possibility for a continuation but I'm not exactly sure since I'd like to leave it to your imagination of who, or what Sebastian was. But if you really want to know, I can continue it, though first I need to get back to Artificial Lives since I keep on delaying it. . . ehe. . .anyways, hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review~


	2. Chapter 2

******A/N:** **So I decided to continue this fic, it was going to be updated earlier but I've been sick for about a week and I've also been busy with midterms (why I didn't have midterms before spring break, I have no idea). This fic isn't going to be that long since I don't have that much planned (but there's always the chance of me getting more ideas and making it a bit longer than it intentionally is, I dunno), but I at least want to make it as interesting as possible. Also the time period in this fic's around Victorian times like in the series, but of course it's an AU, though I wanted to point it out just incase anyone was confused. Thanks to everyone who have already faved and alerted, really appreciate it :)**

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Lizzy finally caught up to her cousin who was standing frozen in the dark room. The teen didn't acknowledge Lizzy till she placed a hand on her shoulder. Ciel flinched and turned to Lizzy whose face was shrouded with concern.

"What are you doing in here, Ciel?" Lizzy asked.

"I . . ." Ciel started, but then was pulled away as Lizzy took her out of the room. Lizzy shut the door and faced a baffled Ciel.

"You're not allowed in there, I know you're my cousin, but guests aren't allowed to just wander off. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Honestly . . ." Ciel sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor and saw a vague reflection of herself. "I don't know."

Lizzy's concern grew so she brought Ciel over to the drawing room for them to sit down. They sat on a scarlet couch with plushy pillows that coated the furniture. Lizzy tried to cheer Ciel up with a smile and clasped her hands around hers.

"Do you want to go shoe shopping tomorrow?" Lizzy asked, changing to another subject in hopes to fix Ciel's peculiar mood.

"Perhaps." Ciel shrugged, she tried to forget what had happened and there didn't seem to be a reason to explain to Lizzy again since she would be even more confused. But what about the mask? Didn't Lizzy notice it, or . . .was it just in her head.

"Great!" Lizzy cheered, cutting Ciel from her thoughts. "How about tomorrow afternoon then?"

"Sure . . ." Ciel trailed as her eyes wandered before spotting the grand piano against the wall. It was rich ebony with polished keys just waiting to be played. Ciel enjoyed playing the piano and wondered if that could ease her mind.

"Go on." Lizzy giggled, as if reading her cousin's thoughts. She knew how much Ciel liked this instrument, so she was delighted to encourage her to play.

Ciel sat down at the bench and scooted herself closer to the instrument. She raised her hands over the keys and took a moment to prepare herself. Lizzy watched in anticipation, smiling gleefully as Ciel began.

Ciel played a small melody that rung through out the bright room. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated, her hands touching the high and low notes in a gentle manner. The music was calming and her body relaxed as she was immersed in the music. Lizzy recognized the melody and hummed quietly along, swinging her feet back and forth.

Ciel was close to finishing, but before she pressed the final notes, a familiar voice slithered in and startled the teen.

"So this is where you ran off too, Miss. Phantomhive."

Ciel mistook a note and her fingers twisted around. Her mouth twitched in dread as she slowly turned to encounter one of the last people she wanted to see.

Claude Faustus, the son of one the wealthiest earls in England was standing at the doorway. He was wearing a black mask with golden thread woven around like a spider's web. His voice made him recognizable since there was always a lack of emotion in his tone, but he usually hid it with a sly smile that Ciel felt disgusted by.

" . . .Mr. Faustus." Ciel greeted dryly, she was scolded countless times that she had to talk formally towards men. So all she could do was fake a smile and hope that Claude would go away, but it didn't seem likely.

Claude walked towards the bench while Ciel kept her head low and avoided his gaze. Claude smiled and placed a hand over Ciel's, caressing her skin but it sent a shiver down the teen's spine.

"I've been wanting to dance with you all night, my lady. If you don't mind." It was more of a statement than a question, irking Ciel more. She could decline and tell him that she was already taken by someone else to dance with, but Claude would most likely ask who and Ciel would hesitant. Plus Lizzy would likely jump in and say that she's available.

" . . . Certainly." Ciel reluctantly obliged and she got up from the bench. Claude took Ciel's hand, which felt firm to the touch. Ciel was suddenly pulled away and was led back into the ballroom.

It was time for the final dance and Ciel and Claude arrived before it started. Claude wrapped an arm around Ciel's back, but was rough as he pulled her close, unable to break way. Ciel subtly groaned at how reckless Claude was but the man paid no heed.

The dance begun and the teen soon found herself spiraling in a rapid pace as the music sped and the room spun. Her legs pranced irregularly on the floor and she almost tripped several times, struggling to keep up. Her long hair flew at her face, blocking her vision. All she could really see were bright colors flashing before her.

The teen felt lost as she was flung all around like a doll, barely having control of herself. Her feet subconsciously moved, going along with the other dancers who were soaring across the room as the music intensified. Ciel felt sick as she was carelessly flown and whirled, this was the exact reason why she hated dancing. But when it came to dancing with that man in the crow mask, it was different.

Ciel looked up at Claude and saw his piercing golden eyes staring down at her. Ciel swiftly dropped her gaze and grimaced, she didn't like the way she was stared at. His eyes only held lust that yearned to have her as he gripped her tight and refused to let go. The teen kept her head down for the rest of the dance that seemed to drag on and on. The music was giving her a headache and her legs were about to break from exhaustion.

When the dance finally ended, everyone clapped loudly before they all departed to the dinning room. Claude took Ciel's hand and led her over to the room as well. The chamber held a long, golden clothed table with silver plates and utensils. Two glass chandeliers hovered over the table, making the utensils glisten vaguely. In the center of a table was a vase that held dozens of pink and yellow roses.

Claude pulled up a chair for Ciel to sit down. Ciel frowned slightly but sat down anyways and was scooted towards the table. Claude sat down next to the teen to her reluctance. She wanted to argue, but since so many people surrounded her, she couldn't. Ladies like herself were supposed to be well mannered and tamed or else they would be ruining their reputation.

But what made this situation worst were her parents. Vincent and Rachel were there too and decided to sit across from Ciel and Claude. Ciel had avoided her parents for the majority of the party since they were going to scold her about not dancing with anyone. But now they were there, sitting across from her, not knowing that she had sex with some stranger and was now sitting next to Claude who she disliked very much. This was very, _very_ awkward.

Ciel smiled nervously while her parents smiled back, taking note of Claude and giving him nods of acknowledgment. All the noble families at the table knew each other fairly well. They were either family or really close friends. The Phantomhives and Faustus were no exception, which made Ciel rather hesitant about being next to Claude, she was afraid that her parents were going to get the wrong idea about something.

But since Ciel needed to be sophisticated, she attempted to kept hold on her smile to please her parents. Vincent and Rachel were entirely unaware of the struggle that their daughter was having right now.

"Are you having a lovely night, Ciel?" Rachel asked. "We haven't seen you for quite some time."

"It's fair enough." Ciel briefly stated.

Rachel's smile grew; she had a sweet smile that always gave Ciel a good feeling. Ciel never wanted to disappoint her, nor her father. Making them upset was the worst thing Ciel could do and she would feel absolutely guilty about it. So to prevent that, she strayed from saying anything of what happened, but she couldn't talk about her discomfort of being next to Claude.

"Miss. Phantomhive is quite the dancer." Claude commented, which brought even more delight to the teen's parents.

"Really?" Vincent inquired, his eyebrows raised in interest. "That's wonderful news to hear considering that Ciel usually ends up stepping on her partner's feet."

"_Father._" Ciel shushed, when she noticed some onlookers, she sunk gradually in her chair.

"We tell her so many times that she has to be cautious, but she keeps on making mistakes." Vincent continued, ignoring Ciel's apprehension as she pulled her hair, about to rip the strands from the roots.

"Ciel, please don't pull your hair." Rachel exclaimed quietly, placing her own hands on her lap to demonstrate what Ciel's supposed to do. Then she turned to Vincent who was about to talk more about his daughter's mistakes, but was interrupted. "Vincent, dear, please don't make Ciel embarrass, especially not in front of Mr. Faustus."

"My apologizes, Ciel." Vincent remarked, but the teen wasn't thrilled and wanted to let it go. Claude on the other hand chuckled and stated:

"Yes, I have heard of Miss. Phantomhive's mishaps," Claude unexpectedly took Ciel's hand, making her cringe. "But I'm quite fond of her no matter what."

Anger was starting to boil inside of Ciel as Claude started to caress her hand. The twitchy teen wasn't an expert at mannerism, but she was pretty damn sure a gentleman wasn't supposed to take a lady's hand like that when her parents _were right in front of them._

Ciel breathed in slowly to prevent herself from raging, but Claude was still holding her hand. Ciel eyed the man annoyingly and then back to her parents who didn't seem to mind the action. Actually, they actually seemed intrigued with peculiar glints in their eyes. This sent a very discomforted vibe to the teen who was coming to an awful conclusion about this, but she tried not to think about it.

"That's very nice to hear." Rachel stated, pure glee in her angelic voice. "You and Ciel have known each other for quite some time so it's grateful to hear such news."

Ciel cleared her throat to try and catch her mother's attention, but she either couldn't hear her, or was ignoring her. Ciel went to the latter and knew that this dinner wasn't going to go well.

Fairly soon the food was brought out, but before anyone dug in, Alexis Midford clicked his glass a couple of times to bring everyone's attention. Alexis got up from his chair and beamed to all his guests.

"Thank you all for coming to celebrate my lovely daughter's birthday. I hope you all are having a splendid night. Please enjoy tonight's dinner."

Everyone clapped and then Lizzy got up from her seat to say a few words. Her smile brightened up the entire room.

"Yes, thank you all for coming, it's been such a wonderful birthday so far. You all look so lovely in your outfits and the dancing was so much fun. Now, let's toast and eat!" Lizzy happily clicked her glass with Alexis's and then did the same with her brother, Edward and her mother, Francis.

The guests clicked their glasses with one another and then started eating. They talked amongst themselves while Ciel kept quiet as she silently ate. She was glad that Lizzy was having a great birthday, but this night was entirely different for the teen, and it wasn't even over yet.

x~x~x~x~x

When Ciel finally got home, the first thing she wanted to do was sleep. So after getting out of that heavy dress, she slipped on her light cotton nightgown and plopped into bed. Her long slate hair sprawled all over the soft pillow as she laid flat on her stomach. But before she could sleep, there was a small knock at the door. Ciel raised her head up slightly and answered.

The Phantomhive maid, Meyrin opened the door and had a glass of warm milk in her hands. She smiled kindly but Ciel just gave her a blank, tired look.

"Here's your milk, my lady." Meyrin stated before settling the glass on the chestnut nightstand. "Would there be anything else?"

"No, you're dismissed." Ciel yawned and took the glass of milk, taking in a few sips before sliding back into the covers.

Meyrin nodded, but before she left, she noticed that the balcony doors were slightly ajar. She frowned and was quite sure they were locked before.

"Did you open the doors, my lady?" Meyrin asked, heading over to close the doors.

Ciel flipped to her side and glanced at the doors; she didn't realize they were open till a cold draft filtered in. "No."

"Hmm, that's odd." Meyrin closed the doors, bolting them shut before returning back to the doorway. "Well then, good night, my lady."

"Yeah." Ciel yawned once more before finally sinking into the mattress and shutting her eyes.

Meyrin closed the door, leaving Ciel in peace as her mind eased and body relaxed. The bed was so comforting and warm, but after a few minutes, she felt a chill. The teen grimaced and tightened the blanket's embrace around her body, but the chill still intervened.

Her eyes peeled open as she groaned in protest. The bitter draft was coming from the balcony doors that somehow opened again. The navy curtains swayed with the soundless wind that was gliding into the room. Ciel glared at the doors, but then her attention was on the figure standing in the dead of night.

It was the mysterious man from before, his face hidden in the sweeping frenzy of the curtains as he lend out his hand, beckoning the teen to come over. His body blended in perfectly with the darkness around him. Only little drops of light from the partially hidden moon outlined his frame. He stood there poised, as if wanting to dance upon the dark balcony.

Ciel scooted back though, but the man kept his hand outstretched and stayed in his position. "Don't be afraid, my lady. Come over here."

"Who are you?" Ciel asked; she was now at the other end of the bed with a majority of the blanket pulled to her side with the rest over the edge.

"Oh?" The man tilted his head; his tone hurt but still kept its elegance. "You really don't know? Funny, because it seemed like you did earlier since you were just so comfortable around me."

Ciel's face heated up and she shook her head furiously, trying to abandon the memory. But now the man was standing _in her room _to make the situation even more awkward. Wait, how did he even get up on the balcony? But more importantly, how did he knew where she lived? The embarrassment was replaced by anger as Ciel grabbed hold of a pillow, ready to chuck it.

"Answer me or I'm calling security."

The man chuckled and took a step forward while Ciel tightened her grip on the pillow. "Would you now? I'm afraid that won't happen."

"Why not?" Ciel inquired.

"Because they would just think you're going crazy, just like your cousin." The man exclaimed, chuckling some more. Ciel could just hear that smile in his voice and it irritated her to no end.

"_Who are you?_" Ciel demanded again, stressing the words out so it could be clear to the man, but it's like he's just taunting her.

"Ah, patience my dear." The man took another step forward, just when the moon was coming out from behind the clouds. The rays spilled onto the floor, gradually building up to illuminate the room.

The man came over to the bedside while Ciel stayed where she was. The man hovered over her and effortlessly took the pillow out of her arms. He tossed the pillow over his shoulder where it was dumped in some dark corner.

Ciel's eyes narrowed, but the expression changed when the light finally unveiled the man's face. The teen's mouth fell slowly as she tried to formulate words. She stared shockingly at his ruby red eyes and then at the other features of the familiar face from long ago. The man's smile grew as Ciel finally came to the realization, just as the room started to spin.

"Sebas—"

_Knock! Knock! Knock! _

Ciel's eyes flew open as the glare from the sun's light pierced her vision. She threw a pillow over her head to prevent the sun from interfering, but the knocking from the door was worst.

"What?" Ciel's voice was muffled through the pillow, followed by a groan. That couldn't have been a dream. There was no way.

"Ciel, dear." Rachel's sweet voice from came from the other side. "Please get ready as soon as you can, there's a special surprise for you."

The teen just muttered something incoherently in response and nearly tumbled out of bed. The amount of emotions that welled up inside her were indescribable as she got up and dragged her feet over to her dresser. She stared at the drowsy wreck that was herself in the mirror, it looked like she hadn't slept at all.

"My lady," Meyrin was now knocking at the door and Ciel soon answered before she knocked again. Meyrin came in and first went over to the teen's massive wardrobe. She opened the doors to reveal the young lady's many dresses. "Your mother wants you to look exceptionally beautiful for today." Meyrin stated with a sniffle, which made Ciel raise her eyebrow slightly in question, but just dismissed it.

Meyrin picked out a lovely lavender dress with two black ribbons intertwined around the waist area. It was rather puffy, but not so much as the ball gown she wore the other night. When Meyrin helped her get dressed, she worked on the teen's makeup and hair. The maid was still sniffling and it was starting to annoy the teen.

"What's going on?" Ciel asked. She was in front of the full-length mirror, watching as Meyrin stopped brushing her mistress's hair to blow her nose.

"Oh, I'm just so excited for you." Meyrin remarked, but she couldn't say anything else as her voice cracked and tears finally streamed down her face. The maid wiped away her tears and blew her nose once more. Ciel rolled her eyes and told her to go to the bathroom and wash up, so Meyrin quickly did that.

Ciel sighed, she couldn't exactly ask Meyrin again or she would be bursting into tears. When Meyrin came back, the two were quiet as the maid finished the final touches on Ciel while she stared wordlessly at the mirror. Her long hair was pined back by a large lavender ribbon to match the dress. She wore pear earrings and a small necklace that hung loosely around her neck. Her dress flowed out smoothly, catching some of the sun's light in the fabric.

The teen soon departed the room and descended down the stairs with Meyrin close behind. Many thoughts ran through her head of what was going on, nearly forgetting about last night. But before Ciel could come across any conclusions, she heard voices coming from the drawing room and headed there.

When she entered the room, Ciel stopped dead when she saw her parents, cheerful as ever, talking to Claude who was also quite content himself, which was rather odd. When did Claude ever look and sound so happy? And what was he doing there anyways? The three were enjoying some tea and were deep in conversation before their focus was on an apphrehensive Ciel. The merry atmosphere didn't pique Ciel's enthusiasm, but instead caused a dense sense of dread to circulate the teen.

"Ah, there's Miss. Phantomhive," Claude came over to Ciel and took her hand. He raised the hand up to his lips and gently gave it a peck to Ciel's utter disgust. "Actually, I don't think it's proper to call you that anymore."

"Why's that?" Ciel eyed her parents who had those peculiar glints in their eyes again. She returned her gaze to Claude, but the man's next words made the teen's blood run cold as he confirmed:

"Because you're going to be my wife."

* * *

**A/N:** **Before you bring out your torches and pitch forks and try to hunt me down, let me clarify that I _don't_ like Claude and _really hate _Claude x Ciel. I cringed every time I wrote about Claude here. _But!_ I wanted to write him in to thicken the plot and make another reason for Ciel to be a girl. Plus I wanted to add more conflict for Ciel 'cause it's fun adding more conflict. Second Plus, we'll get Jealous and Possesive!Seb, and we all like Jealous and Possesive!Seb, right? So please don't worry, this is still Seb x Ciel. I repeat, it's still Seb x Ciel and it won't change. Hopefully you all are still enjoying this. Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh good, I thought I was going to lose some people after the reveal of the engagement last chap, thank you for still keeping in touch and thanks to the new favs and followers~ **

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Ciel was far too stunned to even more a muscle; everything froze in place and her instincts halted all at once. Many thoughts rushed to her mind but she was unable to say or do anything. Her mouth fell agape but nothing came out. A long silence drawled as her parents and Claude waited for her to speak, but Ciel was far to shock as she wondered if this was some cruel, twisted joke.

Finally the silence broke when Claude let out a chuckle, causing Ciel to flinch. "Oh, it looks like my fiancée is nervous. Don't worry, my dear, there's nothing to be concern about."

Resentment swelled up inside Ciel and she was about to explode, but then the appalling presence of nausea took over and she sat down on a chair. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get her mind straight as she waited for the sickness to go away. Ciel didn't think she could get up as a profound weight pulled her down.

When Ciel opened her eyes, she faced her parents, wanting to plead to them but her voice was lost. Rachel rose from the couch and came to her daughter's side, rubbing her shoulder. Rachel's eyes were brimmed with shimmering tears, accompanied by a sweet smile that graced her features.

"This is wonderful news, Ciel. The Faustus family are extremely wealthy and Mr. Faustus will be a great husband." Rachel exclaimed and the tears finally flowed down her rosy cheeks.

"But . . ." Ciel started but the rest was soundless. She turned to her father for help but the prideful head of the house simply smiled, content with this arrangement. Vincent never cried before, or at least Ciel assumed. Her father was a strong noble who kept his feelings to himself and right now he couldn't be anymore proud. Nonetheless, he was showing a tiny speck of sorrow for the fact that his daughter will be parting soon.

Ciel fell short with no help or guidance. Rachel moved away to sit back down while Claude now stood in front of her. Ciel avoided Claude's gaze, but then the latter got down on one knee and Ciel dreaded for the worst when he pulled out a small box. Claude gently lifted up the lid to reveal a blue diamond ring.

"Miss. Ciel Phantomhive, I would be most honored to take your hand in marriage and having you to be my wife." Claude proposed and slipped the ring on with ease, fitting her left finger perfectly. The diamond sparkled with a unique radiance, flickering vaguely as Ciel's hand shook in discomfort. Ciel had the urge to tear the ring off her finger and smack it at Claude's face. But instead, Ciel just stared vacantly at the glistening ring.

"I . . .don't know what to say." Ciel replied; the ring felt heavier than it actually was on her finger. She felt nauseous again and was sure that she might throw up. She took in slow breaths to calm herself, but knew it wasn't going to last.

"Don't worry," Claude assured again, caressing the teen's hand in a small circle. "I'll do whatever I can to support you."

A nerve struck in Ciel and she managed to tear her hand away from Claude's grasp. The man's words tried to be comforting, but they turned out to be bitter and possessive to the teen's ears. Before Claude could make any other move, or say anything, Ciel rose from the chair and stared down at Claude.

"I need time to be alone." Ciel confirmed before marching out of the living room. When she was out of their sight, Ciel hurried up the stairs and rushed into her room. She closed the doors shut and leaned against them.

"Why?" Ciel could only just ask herself as she slid down and sat on the white, plush carpet. She scooted her legs close to her and just kept hold of her knees as she stared distressingly at the ring. It hurt wearing it, like it was going to squeeze the small limb till it popped. So Ciel yanked the ring off her finger and mindlessly tossed it aside. It didn't break, but Ciel wished it did.

"Ciel, honey?" Rachel knocked quietly on the door. "May I come in, please?"

"Yeah . . ."Ciel mumbled and open the door; she crossed her left arm behind her back so that Rachel didn't notice the missing ring.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked, placing a hand to her daughter's cheek.

"I . . .I don't know if I can do this." Ciel admitted, dropping her gaze to the floor. "This is too sudden and I don't know if Mr. Faustus is right for me . . ."

"Oh, sweetie," Rachel brought Ciel in her arms, hugging her in an embrace that gave Ciel the comfort she needed. "I understand that you're nervous and it's not easy. Here, let's sit."

Rachel sat down on the bed and so did Ciel. Rachel brushed a strand of hair from her daughter's face and gave her a warm smile.

"When your father proposed to me, I was in such a wreck. I couldn't stop crying till he wiped the tears away with a handkerchief and apologized for making me cry. It was an arranged marriage as well, but we both love each other dearly. So I'm very much sure that Mr. Faustus will be a wonderful husband to you. Your father did have a long talk with him, making sure that Mr. Faustus will do whatever it takes to take care of you and support you." Rachel exclaimed, but Ciel wasn't sure if she could trust her mother's words, no matter how kind they were.

Ciel only just nodded and then spotted the ring on the carpet. The diamond glistened from above the white threads of the carpet and faced Ciel. The teen turned away and focused back on her mom.

"I just . . ." Ciel mumbled under her breath, she paused before she continued and this time gave her mom an honest look. "I just don't know what to think of Mr. Faustus. He's not someone who I would ever think of marrying."

"Sweetie, Mr. Faustus is a very kindhearted man and comes from a well respected family whom we've known for years. If you don't marry him. . ." Rachel paused and her smile was replaced by a disappointed and strict frown. "Then you'll be ruining both family's reputations."

"Mom . . ." Ciel strained, but Rachel stood up from the bed and headed back towards the door.

"I'm sure you'll feel better soon. Now let's get back downstairs, we shouldn't keep Mr. Faustus waiting."

Ciel subtly nodded while she just wanted to stay in her room. When her mom left, Ciel unwillingly placed the ring back on her finger and exited her room. Ciel descended down the stairs with her mother and came back to the living room.

Vincent and Claude were in the midst of talking when Rachel and Ciel returned. Claude turned to Ciel and smiled humbly, but the teen only replied with a weary look and sat back down on a chair.

"We were just discussing the date of the wedding," Claude remarked, ignoring the look he was given and kept his attitude high. "When would you like it?"

"Does it really matter?" Ciel inquired.

"Of course it does." Vincent cut in, frowning in disproval at his daughter's lack of knowledge. "June is considered the luckiest month to get married on, which is why your mother and I married on that month."

Rachel smiled at the memory and drew out a soft sigh. "It was quite a beautiful day too. But yes, Ciel, it does matter when you have your wedding. Certain days and months determine how your life will turn out to be afterwards."

Ciel inwardly groaned and had the need to slap her forehead, but reclined and just nodded accordingly, pulling up a façade as she smiled. "Yes, how silly of me to forget. Why don't we have it in June then?"

"That will be great." Claude stated, but then a thought crossed his mind and he hummed as he stared out the window. "Actually . . . I think it would be more beautiful if we got married in March, while there's still some snow left on the ground and it's not yet warm, but still chilly and the flowers are just about to bloom. March is only three months away, but we could still make it work."

"Then we need to start on preparations now." Rachel proclaimed with so much excitement as she clapped her hands together. Ciel on the other hand was at lost of words and felt she couldn't contribute at all. After this wedding, she was practically going to be Claude's property.

x~x~x~x~x

"Ciel!" Lizzy waved to her cousin, welcoming her as the blond stood in front of the shoe shop with her mom. Ciel was getting out of the carriage with Claude. Claude proceeded out first, took his fiancée's hand and helped her off the carriage. Ciel could get down just fine, but Claude took the offer before she could decline.

"Elizabeth, don't shout like that." Frances lectured her daughter and then turned to her niece, giving a nod of acknowledgment and then faced Claude. "Oh, Mr. Faustus, it's a surprise to see you here."

"Madam," Claude tipped his top hat and then gestured to Ciel. "It's a pleasure to see you and your lovely daughter this afternoon. Miss. Phantomhive was originally going to accompany you two alone, but I decided to come along."

"Hmm," Frances scowled and crossed her arms in suspicion. "This was going to be for us girls, especially since shoes wouldn't be much of an interest. So why this late invite?"

"Well, it's not safe for women to go to places alone without any assistance. And—" Claude pulled a reluctant Ciel to his side and showed the ring on her hand. "I'm engaged to Miss. Phantomhive, so it's proper to accompany my fiancée to wherever she goes."

"En—engaged?" Lizzy's mouth dropped and she let out a high pitch squeal and jumped in to hug Ciel, but Frances pulled her back.

"Manners, Elizabeth." Frances huffed but then smiled to Ciel. "Congratulations, Ciel, and to you, Mr. Faustus. I assume that this engagement just occurred?"

"Yes," Claude answered while Ciel refused to talk at all. "Just this morning."

Lizzy rushed over to Ciel and clasped her hands in hers; engulfed with so much excitement she wanted to jump up and down. "I'm so proud of you! Oh, when is the wedding?"

"Elizabeth!" Frances scowled and marched over to her daughter, pulling her aside again, but more harshly. "You're a grown lady now and you have to act like one. Sooner or later, you'll be engaged too so you have to behave yourself."

"Yes, mother." Lizzy dropped her cheerful demeanor and solemnly nodded. "I'm sorry . . . but I really am proud of you, Ciel." Her head perked up and she beamed to her cousin. "I would really like to help you plan the wedding."

"Sure," Ciel finally spoke, trying to pull up a smile of her own but it just came out weary. "Of course you can help, Lizzy. The wedding's in March, so we need to get preparations done as soon as we can."

Lizzy blinked once and tilted her head, noticing something was wrong by the way that Ciel smiled. She frowned and figured that something was up, especially with how Ciel acted the other night.

"Are you alright?" Lizzy asked.

"I'm fine." Ciel quickly lied, keeping that fake smile intact. "Shouldn't we go shopping now? It's quite chilly out here, we might catch a cold."

" . . .Of course." Lizzy pursed her lips, having the hunch something was up, but couldn't talk further since her mom was right besides her, watching like a hawk. So Lizzy left the idea go astray for now.

x~x~x~x~x

Ciel stepped off of the carriage and stood in front of her mansion. She turned to see Claude carrying her many boxes of shoes and other items she bought. Ciel couldn't help but chuckle to herself at how ridiculous Claude looked trying to carry all the boxes without dropping them. It was quite an amusing sight.

Ciel climbed up the cobblestone stairs that led to the tall double doors and waited for Claude. Her fiancé had a hard time watching where he was going with the boxes in his face, but Ciel wasn't going to help. Instead, Ciel just watched and anticipated for Claude to trip on the stairs. It would be hysterical to see him topple backwards with all the boxes flying in the air.

Unfortunately that didn't happen since Meyrin appeared from the entrance and scurried over to help Claude. "Oh, this is quite a lot! Let me help you with that, yes!"

Ciel sighed in disappointment and then walked back inside. Meyrin followed tow with half of the boxes in her hands. She scrambled her way up the stairs to place them in Ciel's room. Then she hurried back down to help Claude some more, but the man handled the rest.

When he was done, Meyrin disappeared down one of the halls, leaving Ciel and Claude alone in the foyer. Rachel and Vincent were nowhere around, so it was uncomfortably quiet in the vast room.

"Shouldn't you be going?" Ciel asked, waiting for Claude to leave.

"Can't I say goodbye to you first, my dear?" Claude asked, walking up to Ciel who took a few steps back before coming across the wall. Claude took Ciel's chin and gazed deeply into her eyes with lustfulness.

"You really aren't too pleased with me, are you?" Claude inquired, his voice low and stern.

"You just figured that out?" Ciel kept herself composed but her heart was beating fast. She swallowed hard, but refused to let fear get to her as she stated sarcastically. "I'm sorry that I might have disappointed you."

"Humph," Claude cocked his head to the side, drawing himself back but kept his hand on the teen's chin. "I've known you for years and your little attitude has never changed, so of course I figured it out. But perhaps you should learn some discipline, my dear, before you disappoint your parents and make a fool out of yourself." Claude exclaimed before letting go of Ciel's chin.

Ciel scowled, but Claude returned it with a sly smirk and headed out the doors. Ciel stayed where she was and leaned back against the wall. She stared at the closed doors with disgust and anger for a while, and then a familiar voice came to replace the silence.

"I would advice you to get away from him, he might hurt you."

Ciel flinched and swirled her head around. Standing on top of the grand staircase, hovered over the banister, was the man clad in black. His face was clearly shown from the sun's light, revealing narrowed, ruby eyes that provoked unsettledness.

"How do you keep showing up!?" Ciel demanded, releasing herself from the wall. She stomped her foot on the first stair, glaring at the man whose eyes never left the teen.

"Shhh." The man placed a finger to his lips, just as Meyrin came scurrying back to the foyer.

"Is something wrong, my lady?" Meyrin inquired, coming to Ciel's side.

"There!" Ciel swiftly struck her finger at the air, pointing at the top of the stairs. "That man right there!"

". . .What man?" Meyrin asked, adjusting her glasses to make sure she was seeing right, but she didn't spot the man on top of the stairs. The maid took off her glasses, wiped them and then placed them back in front of her eyes. She still didn't see anyone.

"Right there!" Ciel exclaimed again, striking her finger upward one more. She could see the man smirking at her, but Meyrin couldn't. The maid frowned slightly and faced Ciel with concern.

"Are you feeling all right, my lady?"

Ciel faltered and her face paled, her hand lowered but her eyes were focused on the man who couldn't stop smiling. A chill crept up her spine and she stood immobilized. "You really can't see him?"

"No," Meyrin shook her head and then placed a hand on Ciel's forehead, feeling a hint of warmth. "Perhaps you should rest, my lady, you might be catching a cold and seeing things. That tends to happen when we don't feel well. I'll go make you some tea." Meyrin scurried off in the blink of an eye. She exited as quickly as she appeared.

Ciel turned back to the staircase, and the man was still standing there. His smirk didn't leave his face, he was far too amused by the teen's confusion and uneasiness.

"You really should've kept quiet, you can't let anyone think you're going crazy." The man hummed.

"I'm not going crazy." Ciel retorted, stomping upon the stairs and climbed upwards. She stopped at the step below the man's gaze and glared up at him. "What game are you trying to pull, Sebastian?"

Sebastian's smirk grew. "It's been a long time since we last saw each other, why can't I just tease you for a bit?"

Ciel's eyes narrowed. "Just answer my question, what are you doing here and how can no one see you besides me?"

"Are you sure this isn't all in your head?"

Ciel's glare hardened, she raised her hand and placed it on Sebastian's shoulder. She could feel the broad muscle underneath the black silk of his suit. It couldn't be in her head since she was able to touch him.

Sebastian rested his hand over Ciel's, interweaving his fingers around hers and holding it securely. Sebastian leaned in and captured Ciel's lips, kissing her passionately, but there was also a tinge of possessiveness as he squeezed her hand. His other hand held to the banister, sustaining balance as he leaned in more to savor the teen's mouth.

The kiss didn't last long as footsteps echoed throughout the foyer. Ciel broke the kiss while Sebastian frowned to himself, left unsatisfied and quite annoyed that they were interrupted.

"Ciel?" Rachel called from the bottom of the stairs; her angelic voice flowed out clearly with a hint of fretfulness laced in her tone. "Can I see you for a minute?"

"Yes, mother." Ciel answered back, turning away for a second to face Rachel. But when she looked back, Sebastian was gone.

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**A/N: I'm rather cruel leaving cliffhangers aren't I? Well, I want to keep you all intrigued~ Not much Seb this chap, but he'll appear more next time. Thank you all again, please review~ **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm sorry, I meant to update this earlier but I've been swamped with work. Finals are coming up so everything's pretty hectic right now and I'm a bit stressed. Thanks again for the support, it really makes me feel better. I also want to mention that Artificial Lives is going under a short hiatus, I'm thinking about returning to it when I'm done with this one, just so I can work with one fic at a time. Enjoy and please review :) **

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Ciel entered the drawing room and sat down at a chair. Rachel was across from her, sitting up properly and reminding her daughter to do so with a brief gesture to her posture. Ciel wordlessly propped herself upwards and rested her hands on her lap. It was another reminder that she hated the strict rules she was forced to follow.

"Meyrin just told me that you weren't feeling well, are you alright?" Rachel asked with genuine concern.

"Yes, mother."

"And she also told me that you saw a man on top of the stairs."

Ciel's shoulder flinched and she tensed. She mentally cursed herself as her hands curled into fists. After a moment, Ciel cleared her throat and stated: "I was probably imagining it."

"I see . . ." Rachel's lips pursed and she hummed. "Well, I just want to make sure you're fine."

"Yes, I'm sorry if I made you worry." Ciel remarked, her fists loosened and her muscles relaxed. "I'm probably coming down with something, I think a nap will settle it."

"Alright . . . your father and I were thinking about going out tonight to celebrate your engagement. But if you're not feeling well, we can go out another time."

"Oh . . ." Ciel paused; her fingers laced together and then came across the ring. The band felt cold around her finger despite that she'd worn it for several hours now. "Um, is it alright if we do it another time then?" Ciel asked.

"Certainly, sweetie." Rachel smiled her usual comforting smile, understanding her daughter's decision. "You go upstairs and rest, we'll go out on another day."

"Actually, how about just you and dad go out together instead." Ciel suggested.

"Hmmm," Rachel pondered, considering the idea. "Your father and I haven't spent an evening together in quite some time . . . but are you sure, Ciel? We wouldn't want to leave you while you're sick."

"Mom, _I'm eighteen_, I can take care of myself." Ciel stressed out the words slowly and tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. "Besides, if I need anything, I can just ask the servants."

Rachel sighed and her smile returned, but it was small and held a faint tinge of grief at this realization. Tears brimmed her eyes, making the orbs like glass and just ready to shatter. "You're right . . . you're a young lady now and soon you're going to be a wife and depart from us. . ."

Ciel's body tensed again and an alarming shock coursed through, paralyzing her. "M—mom." Ciel's voice shook, becoming a vague mumble that didn't sound like it belong to her.

Quickly before she could blink, Ciel was caught in her mother's arms. Tears streamed down Rachel's face, crying softly as she hugged her daughter.

Ciel eyes widened, feeling her mom's shoulders quake uncontrollably as her emotions took control. Ciel's mouth quivered and she trembled as well. Everything was hurting, but nothing hurt more than listening to her mom's cries. Ciel couldn't cry back, but all she could do was just hug her mom. Her arms fastened around Rachel's back, patting it gently for an attempt to calm her down.

As much as Ciel wanted to cry, as much as she didn't want this to happen, there was nothing she could do. Crying wouldn't solve anything; she had known that for a long time now. This was happening so fast, and soon she'll be departing her parents and live with Claude.

Ciel bit down on her lip till it hurt and rested her head on Rachel's shoulder. She tightened her hold around her mom, refusing to let go. She couldn't say anything but just listen to her mom's sobs. It was the worst possible sound, and it tore Ciel in a way she couldn't describe.

"Can I . . ." Ciel started, slowly pulling herself away from Rachel and staring at her puffy, distraught eyes. "Can I not get married? At least not yet? I really don't want to see you like this . . ."

Rachel sniffed and brought out a tissue to dab her eyes. She took a minute to compose herself, but she continued on sniffling.

"N—no, I'll be fine, I'll be fine. You're a young lady now and I should acknowledge that. There comes a day when parents have to let their children go, and fairly soon that day is going to come." Rachel took in a breath and one last tear trailed down her cheek. She cupped Ciel's face and gently kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I'll try not to cry again, but I can't promise that I won't during your wedding day." She brought up her sweet smile again, but it didn't comfort Ciel like it usually does. It only made her apprehensive, especially that her mother couldn't seem to understand her.

Ciel bit her lip again and then rose from the chair as she inhaled slowly. "I think I should go to my room now . . . " Ciel remarked; she gave a small hug to her mom before briskly leaving the room. Meyrin was waiting to give Ciel her tea, but the teen declined and departed up the stairs.

Meyrin stared down at the steamy cup in disappointment, she was sure that Ciel would've liked some Early Grey. Meyrin let out soft sigh and turned to Rachel who was blowing her nose. "Is everything alright, my lady?"

"Y—yes, of course." Rachel nodded, catching a few teardrops from her eyes. "Everything is fine, we're just getting a bit emotional, that's all."

"Oh, would you need anything then?" Meyrin inquired, gesturing towards the tea but Rachel shook her head.

"I'm good, thank you." Rachel said before walking off, promising herself again that she wasn't going to cry till the wedding day.

x~x~x~x~x

Ciel lay in bed, facing the high ceiling of her room. Her doors were closed so that no one was to disturb her, but that didn't stop a particular someone.

"It's quite hard to argue with parents, isn't it?" Sebastian asked, he was sitting on the bedside; head tilted to face Ciel and then followed her direction to the ceiling.

Ciel flipped over to her side and groaned. She curled her body to a ball, not in the mood to talk to Sebastian, especially since he's making her sound crazy. The teen closed her eyes, deciding to ignore the man, but simply ignoring him wasn't going to make him go away.

Ciel felt his hand rest on her shoulder, teasing with the black lace of her sleeve. The teen shrugged her shoulder away and scrunched her body closer to herself. "Don't." she muttered in a rather bitter tone.

Sebastian lent his hand over to Ciel's hair, running his fingers through the long strands and parting some from the teen's face. His fingers trailed to Ciel's cheek, brushing his thumb over the soft skin gently. Sebastian then propped himself fully onto the bed, sliding the teen into his arms. Ciel didn't make any sort of movement and just stayed where she was in the man's embrace.

Ciel's back was against Sebastian's body, head resting on his forearm and body held securely by the other arm. Ciel crossed her hand over to rest on Sebastian's, fingers interweaving as before, knotting together like threads. Sebastian raised his head to kiss Ciel's temple and stared down at the teen quietly. Ciel peered up at Sebastian, meeting his affectionate gaze, but Ciel simply frowned at him.

"You haven't answered any of my questions," she droned.

"Haven't I?" Sebastian inquired teasingly, bringing up a small smirk. "Shouldn't we finish what we started first? I'm sure it'll make you feel better."

Ciel's eyebrows furrowed and her cheeks flushed, getting to what Sebastian's implying. "My parents are still here."

"So?" Sebastian cocked his head to the side. His hand unlatched from Ciel's and crept over to the teen's waist. "We did it before when there were hundreds of people just outside of the room, what makes this any different?" His hand gradually lowered at each word, fingertips trailing across the puffy fabric of the dress.

"We might be heard." Ciel deadpanned, and the motion of Sebastian's hand froze, ending up pinching a bit of the fabric. "Besides, I just want to rest for a while."

Sebastian's smile wavered and he released his hand from the dress. He was somewhat disappointed and grew a sense of wariness as a thought crossed his mind, but decided not to comment.

Ciel sat up and started to undo the ribbons tied around her back. One ribbon was stuck in a tight knot and she struggled to loosen it. Sebastian reached to get it, but Ciel looked over her shoulder and stated:

"Just hand me one of my nightgowns in the wardrobe." Ciel gestured to the wardrobe across the bed.

Sebastian faltered, but obliged and got up to get a nightgown while Ciel attempted to undo the dress herself, though she had a difficult time. She spat out incoherent words as she broke through the knots and buttons till finally yanking off the dress. The dress carelessly flew off the bed and slumped on the floor in a disarray of lavender fabrics.

Sebastian returned with a plain nightgown, but stopped halfway to find Ciel partially in the nude. Her lace corset was still intact, but she was working on getting it off. Her white stockings still covered her slender legs that were crossed over each other. Ciel arched back to reach for the strands, fingers tangling around and getting them caught between the tight bonds.

"Do you need help?" Sebastian asked.

"No." Ciel muttered, accompanied by heavy breathing that was articulated by her struggle with the corset.

Sebastian watched as Ciel attempted to pry the corset off, but to no avail. Losing his patience, Sebastian came back to the bedside to aid the teen. "Just hold still," he stated but Ciel moved away again and glared at him.

"I can do it myself." Ciel countered, but then faltered when she saw a flash of irritation in Sebastian's now narrowed eyes.

Suddenly, Ciel was pushed back onto the bed, pinned by the man's strong arms. The teen sunk deeper in the mattress as she saw the man's dark gaze glaring down at her.

"You're being incredibly stubborn." Sebastian muttered, his voice hardened and cold like ice. "You really don't want me to help you. Is it because you're engaged to _that man_, that you don't want anyone else to touch you?"

"Wha—what!?" Ciel practically yelled, mouth falling agape in utter shock. "Where the hell are you getting that from!? I _hate_ Claude, I never intended on being his bride so why should that stop me from—" Ciel stopped herself as her face heated up and decided to shut it.

"From what?" Sebastian asked; leaning in to hear clearly but Ciel refused to speak. The teen turned her head away, but the man cupped his hand around her cheek and made her face him again.

Ciel looked straight into Sebastian's eyes and said slowly. "I don't want to marry Claude. I'm not even ready for this kind of commitment. I'm just . . . a bit scared of what's going to happen." The last words came out strained, like she had to choke them out.

Sebastian's gaze softened and his hold on Ciel's arms loosened. A small smile replaced his fearsome demeanor and he gently brushed his fingers across the teen's cheek. "What is it that you want then?"

"I . . . " Ciel paused and shyly spoke as her ivory skin transitioned to a faint pink. "I want to be with you."

Sebastian's smile nearly vanished, but tried to hold it up as he remarked: "That would be a bit difficult."

"Why?" Ciel inquired.

"I don't think I should tell you, at least not yet." Sebastian briefly exclaimed; his voice was quiet for some reason. The way he talked was rather peculiar and it irked the teen, especially since she was gaining more questions than answers.

"Damn it, Sebastian, just tell—" Ciel was cut off when Sebastian strongly pressed his mouth against hers, muffling the rest of her words and turned them to passionate moans. Sebastian's tongue darted in, exploring her mouth in frenzy. Ciel's body twitched in pleasure and her anger seemed to disappear right there.

Sebastian broke the kiss, gazing down at the breathless teen who was anticipating for more by the pleading look in her eyes. Sebastian's smirk returned fully, lips curving from cheek to cheek in delight.

"I'm not in a very good mood today, so I might be a bit rough." Sebastian informed; slipping off his gloves and letting them drop to the side.

"Just do it." Ciel panted, still breathless from the kiss. Sebastian leaned down towards Ciel's neck and bit into the delicate skin. Ciel gasped, craning her head back and shutting her eyes. Sebastian bit down harder, but not enough to break the skin. When he was done, he kissed the mark and sucked on it.

Sebastian's hand that was holding Ciel's let go and moved over to her hip. His fingers caressed the bare skin, taking his time to cherish the touch. But Ciel was growing impatient as her body squirmed with eagerness.

Ciel wrapped her arms around Sebastian's shoulders and lifted herself up. Sebastian held her back and grinded against her body. Ciel felt his bulging erection from beneath his pants and she emitted a soft whimper of yearning.

But before they proceeded to continue, there was a knock at the door and the two suddenly froze. Sebastian looked like he wanted to maim someone, while Ciel's face paled as her eyes trailed apprehensively at the door. A brief moment of silence and awkwardness arose before Vincent's voice broke it off.

"Ciel, are you awake?" asked Vincent.

"Y—yes." Ciel called, and immediately the door cracked open. Despite that no one could see Sebastian, Ciel pushed the man off of her, causing him to lose balance and roll off the bed. Ciel grabbed hold of the blanket and covered up her body, saved for her head.

Vincent opened the door and found his daughter sunk beneath the blanket, but raised a peculiar eyebrow at her dress strewn on her floor. Ciel's caught her father's direction and gulped, knowing that he was going to ask her why her dress was there, but Vincent simply dismissed it and smiled to his daughter.

"Your mother and I are heading out now, would you like us to bring you back anything?"

"I'm good, have a fun time." Ciel said a bit abruptly, trying to excuse her father quickly without sounding forceful.

"Alright, we shouldn't be gone long. Bard is currently cooking up your dinner right now. Do you want him to bring the food to your room?"

"No, I'll come down soon. I just needed some time to myself, but I'm a bit better now." Ciel remarked.

"That's good." Vincent sighed in relief and came up to Ciel's bedside. Like everyone else, he didn't notice Sebastian who had gotten to his feet and was now standing at a corner, giving Vincent a piercing glare. Vincent kissed Ciel on the forehead and then returned back to the doorway.

"We'll see you later then, if not, have a good night." Vincent said and closed the door, shutting it with a soft click.

Sebastian leaned against the wall and turned to Ciel with a slight frown. "You didn't need to push me off."

"I was freaking out." Ciel huffed, throwing the blanket off her. She groaned and ran her hand through her hair. "Do you see why I wasn't comfortable doing this while my parents were here?"

"Complain all you want, but as I recall, you were quite enjoying it and didn't seem to care at all." Sebastian remarked, chuckling for a brief moment before pulling himself off the wall. " Now that we're not going to have any more interruptions, shall we—"

"In speaking of interruptions," Ciel cut him off and grimaced at him. "You still need to tell me what's going on. How is it that no one else besides me can see you?"

Sebastian opened his mouth, but then closed it firmly. He fell back to the wall and crossed his arms over the other. He turned away and his facial features contorted in a way that Ciel never witnessed before. There was hurt and discomfort as he gazed at nothing in particular. His fingers dug into his skin and there was a subtle tremble of the digits.

"I can't just tell you . . ." Sebastian muttered, narrowing his eyes sternly, digging his fingers deeper, but wasn't fazed by any pain. "Especially when you have other things to worry about."

"Just tell me!" Ciel seethed, throwing a fist at the mattress to emphasize her exasperation and impatience. But Sebastian ignored the teen's plea and shook his head.

"I _can't_." Sebastian didn't know how much he could stress it enough. He tried not to yell, nor did he try not to whisper and show feebleness. He wasn't like that, but a solemn expression was etched on his face, throwing Ciel off. It was a profound expression that stiffened Ciel's muscles, pulling her down as a dense, frosty air hung the room.

Sebastian refused to make eye contact as he spoke. His words were brief, but struck a chord in the teen and nearly made her regret the words she said. Sebastian walked over to Ciel and kissed her on the lips once more. It was a long one, but there wasn't much action so it was quite simple. When it was over, and Ciel opened her eyes, Sebastian was gone.

x~x~x~x~x

"Ugh . . ." Ciel grumbled, poking her food with a fork, barely in the mood to eat as she stared down with annoyance. She couldn't believe Sebastian just left _again. _Ciel mindlessly stabbed a piece of chicken with a fork and then slid the utensil to scratch the plate. Ciel accidentally caught the attention of the cook who noticed that the teen wasn't eating.

"Oi, I didn't burn the food if that's what the problem is." Bard proclaimed, a cigarette was propped in between his lips, flickering in a subtle manner as he talked.

"The food's fine." Ciel made her point by scooping up some peas before gulping them done. Her eye twitched by the staleness, but just ignored it.

"Hmm," The cigarette flicked upward as Bard's mouth twisted and eyes stared out thoughtfully. "Is it the wedding that's troubling you then?"

"Um," Ciel paused and then returned to poking her food again. "Yeah, guess you could say that . . ."

"Can't say that I blame you," Bard blew out a puff of smoke, aiming it towards the ceiling. "Your fiancé looks a bit . . .shady. But what do I know? Perhaps he's a good guy and is going to treat you well." Bard scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Though if he doesn't, I guess you could try to find someone else."

"My parents wouldn't allow it." Ciel dropped the fork on the plate and leaned back on the chair. "It's an arranged marriage so I can't just get out of this, it'll ruin both family's reputations. I can't do that . . .but I'm not sure about Claude at all . . ."

Bard let out another puff of smoke and frowned slightly. "Well, that's not fair for you then. Perhaps you could try talking to your parents."

"I did that, and they don't listen." Ciel groaned, she propped her elbow on the table and nestled her chin on her palm. It wasn't ladylike to do so, but Ciel didn't give a damn about anything right now.

"That's quite harsh," Bard's frown deepened and he scratched the back of his head again, trying to think of something, but nothing came to mind that would help. He was just the cook, so he barely had any say to this. " . . .Just don't get too concern about it, alright? It's not good to worry too much and not think positively. Now finish your meal, it's going to get cold." Bard instructed and then headed back to the kitchen.

Ciel nodded and stared back at her meal; she picked up her fork and resumed eating.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'm so sorry, it's been almost a month since the last update. . . I've been busy with finals and I'm revising the last chap of Diamond in the Rough which is taking longer than expected. But luckily, I survived my first year at college, so that's good! :D And now I finally got to update this, another good news~ Again, thanks for the support and enjoy the chap.

* * *

Fire crackled in the fireplace, the flames swirled about in frenzy. A black mahogany clock was settled on top of the mantle, ticking away quietly. It was well past nine in the evening, the clouds obscured the sky and snow was starting to drift.

Claude stood in front of a tall window that was partially draped by shimmering gold curtains. He stood there motionless, watching the incoming snow as he contemplated on a certain matter. His amber eyes narrowed as he dove deeper in concentration. But then his thoughts subsided when someone spoke behind him.

"Excuse me, master, but you've been standing there ever since you came back from the Phantomhive estate, is everything alright?" One of the maids, Hannah remarked in a quiet voice.

"Not exactly . . . " Claude drew out a sigh, not leaving his gaze from the window. "My fiancée is indifferent towards me, and I'm not too fond of that."

"Have you done anything to upset her?" Hannah asked, her head was bowed down, high-heeled shoes sunk into the dark green carpet.

"That's the problem, I haven't, she's just a little—" Claude stopped himself from snapping and just ran a hand through his silk black hair to calm himself. "That girl needs to learn her place and respect me."

Hannah intertwined her fingers together and kept her head low with slouched shoulders. After a few seconds, she spoke up. "Perhaps you should do something nice for her so that she does respects."

"She's hard to please though." Claude huffed, pinching his nose and closing his eyes. "I'll be seeing her again tomorrow, and if she doesn't become tolerable soon, well," a smile curled at his lips and Claude turned to Hannah. "That would be quite a shame."

Hannah finally looked up at him, witnessing a spark of lust in his eyes. The maid refused to say anything and returned her focus to the floor. Without another word, she excused herself and left Claude to his thoughts.

x~x~x~x~x

Ciel pressed her fingers down on the piano, playing a small melody to keep herself occupied before bed. It was quite late already, but Ciel wanted to do something to keep her mind off of things. Ciel was seated in the drawing room with a group of candles to brighten the room. Meyrin was standing nearby, listening to the heavenly music while also waiting for the young lady to be finished.

Ciel played for several minutes, allowing her mind to drift off and her hands to move on their own as they played. Her eyes closed and she let out a soft sigh that trailed and nearly blew out a candle. The candles were situated on silver candelabras with crystal teardrops hanging at each arm. The ivory lights highlighted Ciel's features, making her appearance more divine.

The teen opened her eyes halfway, droopy-lidded with evidence of weariness glazed in those glassy orbs. The tune softened as the melody slowed, starting to end the short composition with a couple more notes. When it ended, Ciel gently closed the lid of the piano and turned to Meyrin who was clapping.

"That was beautiful, my lady." Meyrin praised. "Now I think it's time for bed."

Ciel nodded in agreement and followed Meyrin up the stairs. She looked around a few times, wondering if Sebastian was around but couldn't find him in the dimly lit foyer.

"Is something the matter, my lady?" Meyrin asked, noticing more of Ciel's strange behavior as she constantly looked around like someone was following them.

"Nothing." Ciel faked a smile and hurried up the stairs, hand trailing across the banister while holding to the hem of the nightgown. She reached to the top, inching towards her room on the left side.

"You're dismissed, Meyrin." Ciel said before heading to her room and closing the room, leaving a perplexed Meyrin still standing on the stairs.

Ciel flopped onto her bed, sinking into the mattress with the side of her head pressed into the pillow. She stared at the balcony doors; ice was layered over the glass. It was snowing outside, falling at a steady rate. Ciel watched the snow before drowsiness engulfed her, settling her into sleep.

x~x~x~x~x

The next morning, there were frantic knocks at the door. Ciel perked her head up, frowning slightly at the disturbance and closed the book she was occupied with. She looked over towards the foyer from the drawing room and saw Meyrin scurrying over to answer it. Once she did, a flash of pink and gold zoomed through the foyer.

"Ciel!" Lizzy cheered, hugging her cousin who almost toppled off of the chair she was seated on.

"Li—Lizzy what are you doing here?" Ciel asked, wide eyes blinking in wonder.

Lizzy let go, jumping back a step and smiled, rocking on the balls of her feet. "I just wanted to visit my dear cousin."

"Does aunt Frances or uncle Alex know you're here?"

Lizzy giggled a bit nervously and her rocking halted midway. "I kind of snuck out."

"What!? Lizzy! You can't just do that!" Ciel exclaimed, standing up from the chair and dropping her book.

Lizzy's cheeks puffed up from the air she blew in and dropped her gaze. "My parents are strict on me, you know that, right? I wanted to see you this morning, but my mom would have to accompany me and I don't want her constantly watching over me. I'll head back soon, but I want to talk to you about something."

Ciel faltered and then sat back down on the chair. She gestured for her cousin to sit down as well and she did. Ciel then called for Meyrin to brew some tea for Lizzy and the maid nodded, rushing back to the kitchen.

"What is it?" Ciel asked.

Lizzy fiddled with her gloved hands, mindlessly picking at the fabric as she spoke. "I want to know what's troubling you . . . you've been acting a bit strange lately."

Ciel stayed quiet for a moment, looking at her cousin who was still toying with her gloves. Ciel sighed, picking up her book off the ground and laying it back on her lap.

"I guess I have been . . ." Ciel murmured, resting her hands flat over the book's smooth surface. "And you might believe I'm becoming mad."

"No, of course not." Lizzy said, shaking her head. "Why would you ever think I would believe that?"

"Because. . ." Ciel turned back to face Lizzy, seeing the concern well evident in her bright eyes. "I keep on seeing that man I saw at your party two night ago. He's real but for some reason only I can see him."

"What? How is that?" Lizzy raised her eyebrows, perplexed as she tilted her head, tapping her chin.

"I don't know . . ." Ciel shrugged loosely, dropping her gaze once more. "But his name's Sebastian, and I've known him for long time."

x~x~x~x~x

_6 years ago _

_Long strands of silver sprinkled the ground, hitting the moist grass and staining the concrete. The sky was gray as it dropped down a small drizzle as a storm was beckoning. No one dared to be at the park for this weather, except for one person. _

_Twelve year old Ciel was sitting on the bench, cradling her arms as her body shook from the cold. Her light yellow dress was transitioning to a murky brown and her short slate hair swathed her face. Her cheeks and nose were reddened and her skin was so cold and numb. She had been sitting here all day, but she lost track of how many hours exactly. The sky had been shrouded for a long time now. _

_Ciel sneezed a few times, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve and groaned. She pulled her feet up to her chest, huddling her knees and hid her face within the fabric of the soaked dress. The rain continued to fall on her, patting her gently but it didn't give her any comfort. It just stung her and made her shudder. _

_However, the rain suddenly stopped falling on the girl. Ciel blinked and raised her head up; a black umbrella was shielding her from the rain. And the person holding the umbrella was a young man wearing a dark overcoat. He smiled with a hospitable air and his copper eyes softened in greeting. _

_"What are you doing here all by yourself?" The man asked, bending over to gain a closer look at Ciel. _

_Ciel frowned at him. "None of your business." _

_The man hummed, his smile wavered slightly but he kept the umbrella above the girl's head. He was getting drenched himself but paid no heed. The rain slid down his pale face and some droplets got caught in his eyelashes. _

_"I can't just leave you alone, my little lady. How long have you been here?" he asked in a polite tone. _

_"Again, none of your business." Ciel spat, now crossing her arms and her frown deepened, but the man's smile remained. _

_"Well, it looks like you've been here for quite some time, your parents must be worried sick." _

_Ciel's frown disappeared and she tore her gaze away from the man. She placed her head on top her knees and focused on her shoes that were caked with mud and dirt. _

_"I can't go back there . . ." Ciel muttered. _

_"Oh?" Sebastian sat down at the bench, but kept the girl shielded with the umbrella. "Can you tell me what happened?" _

_Ciel turned back to the man, he was a bit suspicious looking by his attire, but his smile said otherwise. Ciel drew out another sigh and spoke softly, drawing her legs back out to rest over the edge of the bench. _

_". . . My parents constantly make me do all this stupid stuff so I can become a proper lady," Ciel rolled her eyes at the last word. "They tell me that I need to walk properly, speak properly, eat my food properly and all that. It's really annoying and I can never just be myself. I got really tired of it so I ran away. I think it's been a day now, but I don't know." _

_"And you haven't moved here at all?" The man now frowned, he lightly touched the girl's hand to find it gravely cold, but Ciel knocked his hand away. _

_"Don't touch me." Ciel hissed. _

_"You're freezing, my little lady," The man stated, ignoring the girl's protest and placed a hand over her forehead. "And your head is burning." _

_Ciel moved away from the touch and scooted a few feet from the man. "Just leave me alone . . ." _

_"I can't do that." The man said, pulling back his hospitable smile. "I wouldn't want a young lady like yourself to suffer from the cold." _

_Ciel glared at him. "Why should you even care about me?" _

_"Because it would be improper if I didn't care." he remarked and Ciel just stared at him wordlessly with a scowl before turning away. _

_"Are those your own rules or did someone tell you that?" Ciel asked. _

_"My own, of course." The man stated. "But we all have to follow rules that others make, and sometimes we can't help but break them. In your case, however, you ran away from the rules given to you by the people who raised you. Now take a moment to think if that was a good idea."_

_Ciel stared out at the continuous drizzle. Rain splashed and dribbled, not showing any signs of ceasing. A chilly wind blew by, tossing up her hair and stung her red cheeks. She sneezed once more and whimpered from the cold. _

_"I needed time for myself, I didn't like the things I had to do and the rules were just dumb. I've been wanting to go away for awhile, but I didn't know where exactly to go." Ciel mumbled, holding her arms again and rubbing her shoulders against the cold. "I just wanted to get away, but . . . I don't want to make my parents upset, but they probably are right now." _

_"Then do you want to go back?" The man asked in a calm tone, lending out his hand. "There's going to be a storm soon so it's best to leave now." _

_Ciel grew slightly hesitant as she stared at the open hand, wondering if she should take the offer or decline. Ciel bit her lip in concentration but finally decided to go with the latter. She shook her head and started to get off the bench. But once her feet touched the ground, a wave of nausea hit her, and she would've fallen over if the man didn't catch her on time._

_Ciel blinked several times before finding herself in the arms of the man. She looked up at him and frowned. She would've pushed him away, but didn't find the strength to do so. Instead of words of protest to flow out, labored breaths shot out and the world started to spin around her again. _

_The man took off his overcoat and wrapped it around Ciel to provide her warmth. The umbrella nestled at the crook of his neck, guarding them both from the rain that was growing harsher. The man lifted Ciel in his arms and carried her through the rain. Dizziness still swarmed the girl's head and she looked up at the man in wonder with droopy eyes. _

_Sebastian glanced down at her and smiled, holding her close in a comforting manner."Just close your eyes for a while." he suggested, and Ciel subtly nodded before drowsiness took hold. _

_x~x~x~x~x_

_Ciel woke up in an unfamiliar room, lying in a comfortable bed. A cold cloth was draped over her forehead, lowering the heat. She coughed a few times before sitting up against the headboard, taking note of the room. It was small but had a cozy ambiance to it. _

_It was the next morning and it had stopped raining now. The window showed remaining droplets hanging off the glass with the sun's light passing through. The door opened and the man walked in, holding a bowl of soup with the steam drifting in the air. The man sat down at the bedside with the bowl settled on his lap. _

_"I'm sorry if this room isn't your taste, I went to the closest hotel I could find to get out of the incoming storm." he briefly stated. _

_"It's fine," Ciel eyed the soup, hoping that it tasted as good as it looked. The man handed Ciel the bowl and she scooped up some, catching a few pieces of chicken and peas in the spoon. She gulped it down and a small smile tugged at her lips. _

_"It's good." _

_The man sighed in relief. "Great, eat as much as you can. Soup helps to get rid of-"_

_"Yeah, I know. Mom always made me soup whenever I'm sick." Ciel cut him off, taking in another spoonful of the soup._

_Despite being interrupted, the man was glad that they were finally in agreement with something. After watching her eat for a few minutes, he spoke up again. " I'm sorry to say, but it was quite reckless for you to stay out there for so long." _

_Ciel rolled her eyes and took another sip of the soup. "I still don't get why you decided to help me." _

_"Did you want to be left out in the rain? What if someone else picked you up, but instead of helping you, you got yourself kidnapped?" The man asked. _

_"And this isn't considered as such?" Ciel raised her eyebrow. _

_The man frowned and his eyes narrowed in a way that made Ciel hold her breath. "I'm not threatening your life," he stated slowly, standing up from the bed and headed towards the door. "I'm saving it." he opened the door wide, gesturing his hand towards it. "But if you don't feel comfortable around me, you can go." _

_Ciel was taken aback, especially when she saw the sternness in the man's eyes. She avoided the gaze and focused on the open door. Instead of moving, she just sat there quietly, feeling a tinge of guilt tugging inside that made her feel sick. She breathed in slowly and sat back against the headboard, not wanting to admit that she would rather stay here, especially since she didn't want to go back in the cold. _

_". . .I'll stay, but first you have to tell me your name." Ciel mumbled, swirling the spoon around the bowl of the half eaten soup. _

_The hospitable smile returned. "It's Sebastian. And you are, my little lady?" _

_". . . Ciel." _

_x~x~x~x~x_

_"How are you feeling?" Sebastian asked this later on in the afternoon. He touched the girl's forehead, and found the burning sensation ceasing. _

_"A bit better." Ciel remarked; she was in bed for the majority of the day, resting herself in the warm blankets and sheets. Sebastian was always beside her, making sure she was recovering well and obliged to anything that she needed. Ciel sat up on the bed, holding a pillow against her stomach and rested her head on top of it. Sebastian was sitting across from her on a wooden chair, grateful to know that the girl was doing fine. Though, there were a few coughs and sneezes here and there, but they were minor. _

_"That's good to hear." Sebastian said, leaning over to pat Ciel's head gently. "Would you like to go back home now?" _

_Ciel paused; apprehension shown in her facial features as she squeezed the pillow "I guess, but . . . My parents are going to yell at me . . .mom is usually quiet though, but dad's screams scare me." she mumbled, biting down on her lip and chewed on it. _

_ "Well, they have the right to be angry, you did run away. But if they know you came back safe and sound, then it'll be fine." Sebastian assured, moving his hand to pat Ciel on the shoulder. "All they really care about is for you to come back home. And who knows, if you tell them that they're being too strict on you, perhaps they'll tone it down and allow you to do what you want." _

_"Doubt it," Ciel muttered, looking back to Sebastian and seeing his peculiar copper eyes. "But, I think I should go back . . .I hate to think about how upset they must be." _

_"Alright, lets go then." Sebastian smiled, lending out his hand, and Ciel didn't hesitate to take it. _

_x~x~x~x~x_

_Instead of taking a carriage ride back, the two walked. Luckily, Ciel's parents were staying at their townhouse in London instead of being at the manor out in the country. Though, Ciel asked why they couldn't take a carriage, but Sebastian simply answered that the drivers were usually very rude. _

_After several minutes of walking and exchanging brief conversation, they soon arrived at the townhouse. Ciel halted before going any further, she stood in front of the steps that lead up to the door, but her feet were immobilized. _

_"Ciel," Sebastian gave the girl a little push, but she made a small noise of protest and glanced down. Sebastian sighed, walking in front of the girl and bending down till they were at eye level. "There's nothing to be afraid of. . .no matter how angry your parents will be, they're still your parents and they love you. No matter how harsh some of those rules are, well, that's how society works and you just have to deal with them, but you can't run from them. Just remember that, alright?" _

_Ciel nodded slowly and Sebastian moved aside for her to walk forward. Ciel started up the stairs at a gradual pace, but before getting near the stairs, she turned back to Sebastian who didn't leave his spot. He was smiling the same hospitable smile that Ciel first witnessed from the man. _

_"You're just going to leave then?" Ciel asked. _

_"Yes, unless you're going to run away again and I have to find you to bring you back here." Sebastian joked, chuckling lightly. _

_"Ha, ha." Ciel couldn't help but give a ghost of a smile. It was very faint, but it was there. " . . . Thanks, though." She mumbled, but it was almost inaudible. _

_"Sorry, I didn't catch that." Sebastian remarked, cupping a hand around his ear. _

_The girl huffed and said a bit louder: "I said, thanks." _

_"You're most welcome, my little lady." Sebastian bowed his head slightly before raising it up, his smile never left his face. _

_Ciel started up the stairs again, her hand was on the doorknob, but she paused again to look back at the man. Again, he stayed where he was. _

_"Will I . . ." Ciel started, but didn't know whether she should continue or not. Her feet shuffled about on the brick step, and finally she asked in a quiet voice, but made sure she was heard. "Will I ever see you again?" _

_Sebastian nodded and started to walk away. "Of course, my little lady." _

x~x~x~x~x

"And when I returned home, mother and father were far too upset to even yell at me. I explained to them that I needed time alone, but came back afterwards when I learned that I shouldn't just run from my problems anymore." Ciel concluded, telling Lizzy about the events, but she added. "I never told them about Sebastian though . . .they would've been angry at me for talking to a stranger, so I didn't bother. I think I should've at least mentioned him, but . . .I just never did."

"Have you seen him afterwards though?" Lizzy asked, she was engrossed in the story, though still puzzled about the mysterious man.

"Besides recently, no. I went to the park a few times to see if I could find him at the place we met, but I didn't. It's quite odd . . .sometimes I wondered if I was just imagining him somehow, but another part of me said I didn't. But now that I've been seeing him again, I guess it's not the case." Ciel tugged at a strand of hair and swirled it around her finger. "But whenever I do see him, even when I first met him . . .I felt a sort of comfort towards him, but couldn't exactly admit it. It's a feeling that I never had with anyone else before, and it was nice. I don't know, he's either the strange one, or it's me."

"Hmmm. . ." Lizzy rocked her head from side to side, attempting to register this all in her head. "Well, I don't know what to say . . .this is quite odd, though, but I don't know how to respond to all this. This Sebastian sounds interesting and it's sweet that he helped you, but I have to wonder, who exactly is he?"

Ciel just shrugged in disappointment. "I have no clue . . ."

Lizzy rocked her head a few more times and swung her legs back and forth on the chair. She was about to say something, but then there were a couple of gentle knocks at the door. Ciel's eyebrows scrunched together, wondering who else was here.

"Coming, coming," Meyrin scrambled herself over to the door and opened it. Ciel's stomach dropped and cursed under her breath.

Claude was standing at the doorway, smug looking as always and greeted Meyrin with a short bow. "Good morning, ma'am, where is Miss. Phantomhive?"

"Oh, she's right over there." Meyrin pointed to Ciel's direction and she shuddered, receiving no time to escape. Claude smiled, glasses flashing and hiding the true nature of his eyes. Under his arm was a blank canvas and he held a small black bag that held art supplies. One of his hobbies was painting and was a professional at it, same went for other members in his family.

Claude settled the canvas against the wall along with the bag. He turned back to Ciel, greeting her and Lizzy as well. "Good morning, Miss. Phantomhive and Miss. Midford."

"Mr. Faustus." Lizzy bowed her head in respect, but noticed that Ciel didn't do the same. She cleared her throat awkwardly and Ciel felt the need to roll her eyes.

"Mr. Faustus." Ciel got up from the chair, bowing her head as well. Claude took her hand and gently pressed his lips to it. The teen grimaced, but kept herself composed, preventing the urge to throw a book at him. "Might I ask what you are doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit my fiancée?" Claude inquired, feeling quite ashamed, but Ciel wasn't buying it. "I know that we always don't meet eye to eye, so I wanted to do something for you. I'd like to paint you a portrait, if you don't mind."

Lizzy clasped her hands together. "That sounds just lovely! Ooh, this sound be fun for you, Ciel!"

"Miss. Midford," Claude sighed, turning to the enthusiastic blond. "I appreciate your encouragement, but I'd like Ciel to decide herself."

"Right, of course, I'm sorry." Lizzy giggled nervously, sitting herself back down on the chair, pretending that nothing happened.

Ciel ignored Lizzy and glanced at the canvas and bag. The teen finally shrugged, she was quite fond of art so this should be fine. "Sure, why not?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I changed my username incase anyone was confused, I just think it sounds a bit better than my other one, but if you want to address me as Moko-chan that's fine. I finally updated early, though there might be some grammatical errors since it's fairly late right now, but I wanted to get this done since I'll be busy in the next few days.**

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Ciel was told to put on a ball gown to her discomfort; luckily she didn't have to dance or anything of sorts. Meyrin helped her put on a cream colored dress with a floral pattern stitched in the fabric. Ciel wore a pearl necklace with matching earrings that drooped from her ears. Her hair was pinned to the side by a poinsettia, blossoming in a brilliant red. Her hair fell over her shoulder, cascading down towards her waist that was tied with a scarlet ribbon.

When she was ready, she met up with Claude who was in the drawing room, facing the foyer with his canvas supported by a wooden stand. Lizzy was still present, though she should consider on leaving before her parents find out she snuck out.

Lizzy gasped with excitement at Ciel's appearance, but Claude wanted to make some minor changes. Claude examined the teen from the bottom up, tapping his chin before nodding to himself.

"The dress is fine, though." Claude scowled slightly and brought his fingers to one of the lace sleeves. "I think this should be lowered a bit." Claude pinched at the fabric and gently pulled it down, revealing the teen's shoulder whom subtly shuddered at the exposure.

"Why does my sleeve have to be down?" Ciel asked sourly.

"You have flawless skin, my dear, it should be shown more." Claude briefly answered. "Now, I'd like you to stand in front of the staircase." he gestured over to the stairs and Ciel did so. "Walk up one step and put one foot up the next step. Then stretch your right arm back and place your hand on the newel post. All right, good," Claude nodded, liking what he was seeing while Ciel got in the position.

"Now, with your other hand, hang it just an inch over your necklace and have your thumb and middle finger tugging the pearls, twist the wrist just slightly and have the necklace wrap around your forefinger. Tilt your head back and raise your shoulder till the crook of your neck nestles the shoulder. Face my direction; keep your face calm and your eyes fixated on the back wall. Your body has to be absolutely still and poised."

Ciel inwardly sighed, doing what Claude said as he examined her once more, mumbling incoherently to himself before returning back to the drawing room. He brought the canvas over to the foyer, settling just a few feet away with the art supplies.

"How long is this going to take?" Ciel asked, fingers fiddling with the pearls that were smooth around her fingers, light to the touch and were quite fragile.

"I can't give an exact time, but it'll be hours." Claude seated himself on a stool, pulling out a palette and squeezing in the first portion of paint he was going to use. A slender paintbrush with a tiny tip was held in between his middle and forefinger, anticipating to get started.

"You just have to be patient, my dear." Claude insisted with a sly smile, but that comment certainty didn't help and made the teen unease. Ciel emitted an inaudible sound of distaste and nearly rolled her eyes, but kept herself focus like a statue.

Claude stared at Ciel for a while, contemplating where to start first. After a moment, he began, dipping the paintbrush into the paint and dripped it onto the canvas. He deeply concentrated on the work, turning back to Ciel every so often to capture the right shades, tints, tones, colors, etc. It was a very attentive and long task, and each detail put into the work was a progress. Claude was a professional at this, but it doesn't mean that this was going to take an hour or two; it would take all morning and possibly the afternoon.

Claude painted with small strokes, the bristles on the brush swerved about with the gentle flow of the man's hand. Claude checked back on Ciel, his other hand cupped his chin while his jaw flexed sideways. He watched for details, paying close attention to the teen's face and the posture that he stationed her on. Ciel averted her eyes from Claude, looking over his head and stared at nothing in particular. On occasion, she caught Claude's gaze on her, and she was fairly sure that he was doing more staring than painting.

Lizzy scooted over to Claude without his acknowledgement. She bent over and peeked over his shoulder, gasping quietly to herself. So far, the painting was being brought to life ornately and Lizzy was awestruck. Claude was working on Ciel's facial features, he made the eyes gleaming with light reflected off the deep cerulean orbs. The reddened lips were pressed together naturally and the cheeks were tinged with a faint crimson beneath a creamy tone of the skin. Her head was tilted with the neck resting on the bare shoulder. Claude was working on the left hand; the fingers were small and slender, but revealed graceful movement.

"It's so beautiful." Lizzy breathed.

Claude released the brush from the canvas, a bead of ivory paint dripped off from the bristles and soundlessly dropped to the white marble. The man pushed back his glasses, clearing his throat.

"Miss Midford, I appreciate your praise, but I don't approve of you hovering over my shoulder while I work." Claude slowly spoke, his tone was calm but it left a chilling presence.

"S—sorry!" Lizzy jumped and accidently bit her tongue. She squinted her eye and her features scrunched up. She retracted herself before she was back at the drawing room. She whimpered subtly by the throbbing pain in her tongue, but even the small sound made Claude's shoulder twitch at the distraction.

Claude exhaled slowly with evidence of irritation lingering throughout. He took out a small cloth and wiped off the paint from the brush, careful not to pull out any strands.

"I think we should take a break." Claude stated, placing the brush down before scooting the stool back to stand up.

Ciel gratefully dropped down from the steps and stretched her arms. She massaged her strained neck as she rocked it from side to side. Ciel was standing in that position for a long time and was pleased to know that she was able to feel her limbs again.

"How about a fifteen minute break?" Claude suggested, he covered the canvas with a thin cloth. He didn't want anyone else to see it and was still irked that Lizzy peeked, but held his composure.

"That's fine." Ciel shrugged, though a longer break would be nice. Ciel returned to the drawing room where Lizzy greeted her warmly with a smile, attempting to forget what happened a minute ago, but the ache in her tongue told otherwise.

"Uh, Lizzy," Ciel glanced at her cousin on the chair in inquiry. "Shouldn't you be heading back to your house?"

One side of Lizzy's mouth twitched and she slipped into a nervous giggle, covering her mouth. "I guess I should go back, shouldn't I?"

"Yes . . . " Ciel trailed, she didn't want to sound like she was kicking her out, she just didn't want Lizzy to get in trouble.

"Alright," Lizzy nodded and started to head for the door with Ciel following. Ciel opened the door for her and the chilly breeze bitterly welcomed them. Lizzy tightened her coat around her, but her smile was warm as she faced her cousin. "I'll see you soon, Ciel."

Lizzy hugged her cousin tightly before skipping out the door. Ciel watched her skip down the stairs and climb into the horse drawn carriage before she closed the door. But then her smile vanished when she heard Claude approaching.

"You know," Ciel frowned, turning to Claude who was now in front of her. "You didn't have to snap at Lizzy."

"I didn't snap at her," Claude folded his arms, pursing his lips. "I just simply told her to not look over my shoulder."

"She was just commenting; it's not like she was watching the whole time."

"I don't like it when people look at my unfinished work."

"You could've spoken in a different tone at least."

Claude huffed, growing vexed. "I see no reason why you're so worked up about this. We have less than a fifteen minute break before getting back to the task, why don't you relax for a while before we continue? That'll calm you down." Claude turned on his heels and returned to the drawing room.

"I am calm." Ciel muttered under her breath. Instead of going with Claude, she climbed up the stairs and ventured to her room, fighting the urge to not slam the door shut. But Ciel just simply locked the door behind her and groaned.

"God, he's annoying." Ciel pinched her nose, walking across her room till stopping at the balcony. Despite the cold weather, she opened the doors and stepped out into the frosty air.

The sky was cloudy as usually, but no flecks of snow were in sight. The balcony was made of stone, small and it curved around in a semicircle. Two vases sat parallel to each other on top of the balcony, holding bouquets of poinsettias. Their crimson petals stood against the grayness all around, bracing the cold and quiet ambiance.

Ciel peered over the balcony, glancing down at the partially frozen lake at the bottom. Ice was vaguely glazed over the water in a thin layer. Beyond the lake was the soundless countryside. Small hills with dead grass tumbled over the other like waves. Other mansions were seen in the distance, including the Midford's.

"Don't lean over too much." A deep, velvety voice said behind. Ciel glanced over and saw Sebastian standing at the doorway, one hand on the knob as he held it open.

Ciel scowled. "Are you going to appear and disappear whenever you please? You're also getting a bit on my nerves."

"I'm actually not supposed to interfere here too much." Sebastian said, releasing his hand from the knob and keeping it to his side. "I've been breaking some rules." he smirked, but Ciel rolled her eyes.

"Weren't you the one who told me that you shouldn't break rules?" Ciel inquired.

"I said that you shouldn't do it all the time." Sebastian corrected, lending a finger to his spread lips, reminding the teen but also teasing her as he chuckled softly.

"Whatever . . . I should be going back down now before I get dragged back." Ciel made a sour face; she was reluctant to go back to Claude and would rather be here, despite that it was freezing. Nonetheless, Sebastian was here and ignoring the coldness was easy.

Sebastian sighed and made way for Ciel to get past. Her dress swept across the stone and swirled when she turned back at him.

"Can you wait for me here, though?" Ciel asked, and then paused. "Not on the balcony, but in my room. Or are you just going to disappear again?"

Sebastian smiled. "When you come back, I'll be here waiting."

Ciel smiled back and headed over to the door, unlocking it before opening it up to reveal the hall. She looked back and saw Sebastian now standing in the room. He had closed the balcony doors and was now going to wait for the teen's return.

Ciel closed the door behind her and drew out a slow sigh. She stared at the door, albeit hesitant to go down the stairs that were only a few feet from her. She wanted to go back in her room and just lay in Sebastian's arms, not having a care with the rest of the world.

The teen rested her head on the surface of the door; he was just on the other side, still waiting and will hopefully still be there.

"Ciel?"

Ciel retracted herself from the door and saw Claude standing in the midst of the staircase. His hand rested on the banister, mindlessly tapping it as he wondered what Ciel was doing just standing there.

"Coming." Ciel called and walked over to Claude who nodded and proceeded back down the stairs.

"Alright, get back into your position." Claude sat back down on the stool, picking out a different brush and adjusted himself.

Ciel returned to her position, but had forgotten which positions her fingers were supposed to be. She frowned, switching to different fingers and trying to remind herself which ones had to hold the necklace and which ones were intertwined with the necklace.

Claude eyed the teen curiously, watching as she attempted to figure out what to for a minute before getting up himself to help.

"It's not hard to remember." Instead of telling her what to do, Claude took Ciel's hand and guided the fingers in the correct area, then finishing with the light turn of her wrist. He did this gently, as if fixing up a doll.

"You're good now." Claude gave her a warmhearted smile, but it only made the teen cringe subtly. She looked away from him and focused on the back wall once more. Claude returned to his seat and slipped off the cloth before resuming his work.

x~x~x~x~x

Lizzy stepped out of the carriage and climbed up the stairs to her manor. She kept her fingers crossed, praying that her parents weren't going to scold her. When she stood in front of the doors, she gulped down nervously before gently knocking the door. Fortunately when the door opened, the maid, Paula was standing at the door.

"My lady! Where were you?" Paula asked, gently pulling the teen in before shutting the door.

"Paula!" Lizzy covered her mouth and glanced around the foyer, but no one was around except for them. "Please be quiet, where are mother and father?"

"They're upstairs, I don't think they knew of your absence."

"Good," Lizzy sighed in relief, her heart rate was beating tremendously the ride back but was now slowly down. "Can you keep a secret for me Paula? Can you please not tell them that I was out? I was over at Ciel's and I wanted to see how she was doing."

"Of course, my lady." Paula nodded, bringing up an amiable smile. "Though, I'd prefer if you don't sneak out again, you might get caught."

Lizzy giggled. "Okay, and. . . can I tell you another secret?"

"Yes, what is it?" Paula asked, her smile was bright, but it didn't cheer the teen up.

Lizzy's joviality vanished and she glanced about once more. She faced Paula again, she wasn't just the maid, she was a close friend and Lizzy was always comfortable talking to her.

"Ciel was recently engaged to Mr. Faustus, but . . ." she hesitated, clasping her hands together and felt sweat collecting in her palms. "I don't think Mr. Faustus is the right person for Ciel. Mr. Faustus is rather cold, and it's not right for Ciel to marry that kind of man. I noticed that she doesn't seem comfortable around him as well, but she's not saying anything. We can't exactly speak our minds since this engagement is absolute, but I want too . . ."

"Oh," Paula pouted, sticking out her lower lip and tilted her head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe overtime things could get better."

"I hope so." Lizzy mumbled.

Paula patted her shoulder, giving her some reassurance."I'll go make you your favorite tea to cheer you up." she said before dashing off to the kitchen. But Lizzy stayed where she was in the foyer, entirely defenseless.

x~x~x~x~x

After a few hours, Claude wasn't finished but the most significant parts were, and that what really mattered to him right now. Claude was starting the background, but was just going to paint it black, while contrasting it was a lighting effect to make Ciel more three dimensional.

Claude practically painted Ciel as a divine figure standing against the darkness. The cream colored fabrics of her dress flourished outward, trailing over the red carpeted stairs. Her body posture was controlled and elegant, revealing movement as she mounts the stairs.

But what really struck out were her eyes, gazing with a longing look that captured the tranquility of the teen's face. She's shown as the embodiment of flawlessness, and Claude wanted her to be that instead of being the intolerant girl she really was. He wanted her to be how she appears in the portrait: perfect in every aspect.

"I think that's enough." Claude finally announced, giving Ciel release as her shoulders relaxed and arms waved about to get rid of the stiffness.

"I just need to work on the background and add extra details." Claude exclaimed as he covered the painting again and placed his materials away. "I'll finish the rest at home, I should have it done in the next few days."

"Alright." Ciel nodded, relived that this was over but was curious how the painting was turning out.

It was the afternoon now, the session took longer than Ciel thought and felt rigid from standing still for so long. Claude soon left, brining along his art supplies and the canvas that was covered up. Ciel was never more grateful than to watch Claude leave, especially since he was overstaying his welcome.

Now she could finally go back to her room without any more distractions. Her parents were out with a couple of friends and the servants were busy doing their jobs. There wasn't going to be anymore interruptions for a while, and Ciel was grateful for that as a smile played on her lips.

Once Ciel entered her room, she locked the door and turned to see Sebastian standing right where she left him. A triumphant smirk spread on his lips as he walked over to Ciel in slow strides. He cupped her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her passionately on the lips. He broke it off and stated with gleaming eyes:

"Let's continue where we left off, shall we?"

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**A/N: Next chap there will be a lemon, and don't worry, there won't be any interruptions. Also, I'd like to point out that Sebastian is not a demon in this, he's something else actually. If anyone is able to guess Sebastian's identity before it's revealed, I'll do something special like make a oneshot dedicated to you or something. So I'd like to hear your thoughts, it'll be a fun guessing game~ **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** **Short chap, but this one has a lemon so that should make up for the shortness, right? Also I really liked all of your guesses for Sebastian's identify. However, it won't be revealed till later on, but I was curious to know what your thoughts were so far~ **

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The curtains blocking the windows made the room dark with shadows cascading the walls. Ciel switched on the oil lamp settled on her nightstand, lighting the bed sheets in a sea of gold. Ciel lounged upon the bed while Sebastian hovered over her, adorning her stretched neck with kisses. Ciel wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, elbows jointed and fingers intertwined loosely. The soft pillows cushioned her head, but the most comforting feeling was Sebastian's lips meeting hers.

His hands pressed down on the mattress, just above Ciel's shoulders. He leaned in more till their foreheads touched. They stared into each other's eyes, blend of cerulean and copper dancing amidst the light from the oil lamp. Ciel turned her head slightly, reaching up to kiss him. Her fingers fiddled playfully behind Sebastian's head, tangling a few strands of his hair.

The kiss set a slow pace as they savored the taste of each other's lips and mouths. Ciel's body stayed still as her head moved up and down, catching a bite of the man's lips or trailing her tongue inside. Sebastian's back arched forward, kissing back a bit more roughly.

Ciel unlatched her hands and placed them on either side of Sebastian's face. Sebastian broke off the kiss, giving them both time to breath. Ciel traced a hand down to Sebastian's chest, feeling the quickening throb of his heart. Sebastian placed his hand over hers, coiling his fingers around in a gentle manner.

Sebastian kissed her one more, it was short-lived, but each time Sebastian kissed her, an overwhelming sense of ecstasy sent Ciel's heart to skip beats. They broke off again, and this time Sebastian brought a hand over to the tiny buttons lined on Ciel's dress. He plucked the buttons off and Ciel pulled herself up so that Sebastian could reach behind to unhook the straps.

Sebastian helped Ciel to pull the dress off. The dress was tossed over the bed, a frenzy of fabrics strewn on the floor. Ciel was left in her corset and stockings, the poinsettia was still pinned to her hair but Sebastian plucked it off and dropped it on the sheets. He drew her hair out freely, letting it fall over her bare shoulders. The peal necklace was still laced around Ciel's neck. Sebastian playfully tugged the necklace with his teeth, sucking on a couple of pearls before releasing to kiss her collarbone.

Ciel laid back down on the bed, watching in anticipation as Sebastian hovered over again. He caressed her cheek and trailed his hand downward till reaching her hip. He brought his other hand to Ciel's lips and she took it, dipping each individual finger into her mouth. She sucked tenderly on the fingers before she released them.

Ciel then spread her legs out, holding to the sheets to prepare herself as Sebastian struck the first finger in. Ciel immediately squirmed with pleasure, drawing in closer as Sebastian snaked in two more digits. He ran the fingers in and out while Ciel's body moved intuitively with the digits. She moaned subtly, clasping the sheets with fingers pinching profoundly at the fabric.

Sebastian finally pulled the fingers out and came back on top of Ciel. He kissed her again while Ciel reached towards his pants, pulling the dark material before sliding it down. Sebastian pushed Ciel back to the bed, pinning her hips down and keeping her still, though Ciel's body was shaking with eagerness. Ciel wrapped her arms back around Sebastian's shoulders and stared up at him with a dreamy gaze. Her eyes half-lidded and blinking leisurely. Sebastian smiled, caressing Ciel's cheek once more and she leaned into the touch.

Sebastian returned the hand to her hip, rubbing the soft skin in a small circle before kissing it. He then came on his knees, his cock fully exposed and throbbing tremendously.

"Are you ready?" Sebastian asked, eyeing Ciel with an alluring glance. Licking his lips in a seductive manner as he awaited the teen's answer.

"Yes." Ciel breathed out, her body was trembling with delight and she had trouble steadying herself. Sebastian pinned her down again before shoving himself into her. Ciel gasped and held to her hands tightly as Sebastian pushed himself in deeper. Her legs twitched uncontrollably and she craned her head back.

"Fa—Faster." Ciel moaned, now gripping the man's back as he obliged. His thrusts quickened, now slamming into Ciel whose head bobbed up and down against the pillow. "Nnngh, Se-Sebastian. . ." she also slurred out, followed by mumbled remarks of how wonderful this felt. There were other moments that when the thrilling sensation was so overwhelming, no words were able to spill out.

Ciel then lifted herself up, arms holding the man's shoulders. Sebastian stopped the thrusting momentarily as Ciel adjusted herself. Sebastian drew back while Ciel was on his lap, legs spread apart with his cock half way in. Ciel leaned in close, panting softly as she stroked his hair.

"Can you be . . .a bit more rough?" Ciel inquired, albeit shyly, but she needed more from him. She trembled and had to hold onto Sebastian for support.

Sebastian smirked, eyes glistening by the fire's light. "I was hoping you'd ask that, my lady." he deepened his tone as the smirk grew. He pulled himself out before raising Ciel up, ramming her just above the headboard. Ciel gasped by the impact, but ignored the pain.

Sebastian grabbed Ciel's arms and threw them against the wall as well. Ciel's back arched forward, but was pushed back as Sebastian grinded his hips against her. Sebastian feverishly kissed and bit her around the neck, saving the mouth so that he could clearly hear her cry out his name.

He continuously slammed her to the wall with each thrust, causing the teen's moans to intensify. Ciel's back ached, but she didn't want this to stop as she kept a desperate hold of Sebastian. Sebastian then pressed his body against Ciel's, their sweaty bodies practically sticking to each other. Sebastian lifted up Ciel's chin while he held the other arm above her head.

He kissed her long and hard as he sucked in her breath. Their hands frantically played with each other as they fought for the others' breath and taste. But then Sebastian took the upper hand when he shoved in once more, causing Ciel to break off the kiss as she threw her head back.

The orgasm was building up and Ciel's body squirmed in the man's hold. Sebastian felt it too and kept on thrusting; quickening his pace more and more before he finally came.

"Ah!" Ciel cried out loudly, slamming into the wall again before both she and Sebastian fell back upon the bed. Sebastian ejaculated inside of Ciel as a long trail of cum seeped out. Ciel rested herself on top of Sebastian, trying to catch her breath as she had her head buried in his shoulder.

Sebastian wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back as he too tried to retrieve his breath. He glanced up at the ceiling and then at the oil lamp on the nightstand. The flame was swirling about, but its dance dispersed when Sebastian shut it off, leaving the two to rest in the dark.

x~x~x~x~x

Later in the evening, Ciel went into the dining hall for dinner. Her body was still aching, but she kept herself composed so no one would notice. Ciel was the last to sit down at the table, and once she did, Vincent spotted something a bit peculiar. His eyebrows scrunched together and he leaned forward, making sure he was seeing right.

"Sweetie, what's that on your neck?" Vincent asked, pointing to the rather visible reddish purple hickey glazed on the crook of her daughter's neck.

Ciel ran her hand over to the bruise and gulped softly, avoiding both her parent's gazes. Cold sweat was breaking out and she kept her mouth shut. _Damn it, this is very bad, just keep calm, just keep calm. _She frantically thought to herself.

"There's actually a couple of them on you . . ." Rachel mumbled, leaning forward herself, then she gasped quietly. "Did Mr. Faustus. . .?"

Ciel's shoulder's flinched and she instantly said with reluctance: "Yes, Mr. Faustus gave me these." she groaned and covered the bruises with her hands. _Great, now the situation is worst, is it too late to go back to my room? _

Rachel and Vincent exchanged curious looks to each other and then faced the sheepish teen. Ciel sunk in the chair, irked that she just said that.

"We wouldn't have thought that Mr. Faustus would do that, at least not yet." Rachel exclaimed, some concern was laced in her tone. "When did this happen?"

". . . When you two were away, Mr. Faustus came over to paint a portrait of me and then he . . ." Ciel gulped down heavily, "he just wanted to show some affection, that's all. It's nothing, can we drop it?"she asked, and then swiftly added: "And can you not say anything to him about it? This is just between him and I, so it's weird to talk about it." _I swear, I'm going to vomit. . . _

Rachel and Vincent shared glances to each other once more; there was a long and awkward pause that made Ciel ill at ease. She despised mentioning that Claude was the one to touch her, but she could never admit that someone else did. Ciel bit down on her lip and mindlessly scratched her hand.

Finally, Vincent spoke up, "Alright, just tell him not to be so rough again. Those bruises look painful-"

"_Dad." _Ciel's voice strained, pulling at her hair, her elbows propped up on the table and she didn't care that she wasn't allowed to. Her face was heating up from embarrassment and didn't know what was worst: lying that Claude gave her the bruises (giving her the awful image of Claude biting her) or the fact that it was actually Sebastian and she couldn't say anything about him. It would cause so many problems and the consequences would be so dire.

However, Vincent and Rachel looked like they had more questions by the inquisitiveness drawn on their faces. It was evident that they wanted to know more and if anything else happened while they were gone. Ciel coughed tensely to break the silence.

"So, uh . . .who did you go out with this afternoon?" Ciel asked, finally switching the subject, but she still kept her hair covering her neck.

"Our good friend, Diederich and his wife." Vincent answered. "They invited us to an opera tomorrow night if you'd like to come."

"Oh," Ciel paused, considering the idea and then shrugged indifferently. "Sure, that sounds fine. It's been a while since I've seen them."

"Good," Vincent smiled, pleased about the decision. "Also, your mother and I were thinking about hosting a party for you and Mr. Faustus soon. We need to get the families together to celebrate your engagement."

Ciel avoided from frowning, despite the difficulty, and asked in a quiet tone: "Can it be a small party?"

"I doubt it, we have to invite both families." Rachel remarked, indicating that it wasn't going to be small. It was going to be an endless swarm of relatives and new in laws congratulating her nonstop for several hours.

"Plus this is important for both families, so it's going to be quite big." Vincent added to further his daughter's utter disappointment.

Ciel sighed, dropping her gaze and focusing on her hands now on her lap. She wasn't much of a fan of operas, but she would rather go to one than be the center of attention at a party that she was dreading for.

* * *

**A/N: Hmmm, I don't think Diedrich has a last name. . .looks like I'll have to make it up since I'll be introducing him and his wife (whom I'm also making up) next chap. So, any suggestions for surnames? Or a name for Diedrich's wife? And I'll also be introducing Claude's parents soon too, I was thinking that Claude's dad should be Agares from the manga since the two look alike. What do you think? Next chap will be longer with both the opera and the party, so stay tuned~ **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: There's been a change of plans, I decided to just do the opera for this chap and then do the party next time. Reason being is that I ended this chap with a cliffhanger and I really want to know your reactions to it. I got the impression last chap wasn't that good, so I want this chap to make up for it. **

* * *

Rachel drew out a breath, cradling her chin upon her palm with her elbow settled on the desk. Her right hand flew in a graceful manner as she wrote on the square pieces of parchment. Piles of letters were settled on the desk, all wrapped in creamy envelopes. They were all embellished in red stamps bearing the Phantomhive crest. Rachel dabbed in some more ink from the glass bottle and carried on. She was writing invitations for the engagement party that was coming up in two weeks. It was indescribable how much contentment she felt right now, though there was an inkling of sadness aching in her chest.

Rachel turned her attention to a few portraits joined together at the peak of the desk. One portrait was that of a seven year old Ciel, smiling brightly to the camera. She wore a simple dress with a crown of flowers in her hair. Her arm was outstretched, holding another crown of flowers for her mom to wear. Her sweet laughter was paused at the precise moment where her rosy cheeks rose and teeth were shown. She was in the midst of merriment while beckoning Rachel to wear the crown she made. A happier time was frozen in that picture, now a memory with a story to tell.

Rachel lightly touched the picture, tip of her delicate finger meeting the thin glass. She traced the finger over to her daughter's small, outstretched arm and reached for the crown of flowers, yearning to relieve those cherish moments again.

"Rachel," Vincent approached his wife from behind, clasping a hand over her shoulder and providing a soothing rub. "Do you need any help with the invitations?"

"No, I'm fine," Rachel glanced up at Vincent and smiled warmly, patting her hand over Vincent's. "I'm almost done."

Vincent nodded and peered at all of the envelopes and invitations before spotting the small pictures. Vincent picked up the picture that Rachel was previously looking at, smiling humbly.

"This was at the park," he said, reminiscing back. "You showed Ciel how to make a crown of flowers and afterwards, she made one for you as well."

"But then Ciel's crown got blown away by the wind," Rachel said. "She chased it until the crown fell in a lake. She tried to grab it, but I pulled her away before her dress got wet. I gave her my crown instead, but she was upset that I didn't have one anymore." Rachel chuckled softly, voice strained and tired. That memory and all the others in the old photos were from so long ago; it was overwhelming to know how much time has flown by.

"I should take a break now and get ready for tonight." Rachel decided, pulling back the chair so that she could get up. She turned to Vincent, trying to smile, but Vincent found the distress underneath her façade. Vincent understood his wife's dilemma and was going through the same, but kept it all within to stay strong and positive.

"I'll do the rest of the invitations." Vincent insisted, he placed the picture back down, but gave it one more glance. Seven year old Ciel was facing both of her parents, smiling to them as if to encourage them to cheer up.

x~x~x~x~x

Ciel stepped off of the carriage with the help of a servant. She was the last one out while her parents waited in front of the opera house. Swarms of people were pilling inside, instantly filling the place up. Luckily Vincent already reserved seats so getting through the crowd was no concern.

Another carriage pulled in and the door opened. Diederich Bach, a long time friend of Vincent and Rachel, stepped out. He was poised with his usual assertive demeanor as he took a brief glance at the Phantomhives before facing away. He held his hand out to the door's opening and a small hand took hold. Diederich's wife, Margret held to the helm of her brown dress as she was supported down the steps.

Margret smiled to the Phantomhives, but her hospitable manner didn't hide the fact that she was a strict woman whom wasn't to take lightly. Her head was held high and her smile wavered for a split second before coming back together.

"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Phantomhive, and to you too Miss. Phantomhive. Congratulations on your engagement." She said; she had a fan that perfectly matched her dress and waved it swiftly at the air. It was an unnecessary accessory considering the cold, but she brought it anyways.

"Thank you." Ciel said, though she thought she heard a touch of bitterness in the woman's voice, but she dismissed it.

"Shall we go inside?" Diederich insisted, gesturing a hand forward towards the building. The building was brightly lit with shades of yellow passing through its massive glass windows.

"Of course." Vincent hooked an arm around Rachel's while Diederich and Margret mirrored them. Ciel walked along side as they ventured across the cobblestone ground and into the building.

They entered the lobby where it was packed with couples and their children. Some went to register for last minute tickets, while others ventured the grand staircase. Statues of angels holding up candelabras were pivoted on top of the newel posts. Their wings spread out wide and they faced the audience as they climbed the marble stairs.

Ciel glanced at one of the angel statues. The candelabras highlighted its bronze face to make it appear slick. Its eyes were hollow and glassy while its lips were firm in a straight line to emphasize its frozen concentration, judging the people.

"Dear." Rachel's voice broke Ciel out of her reverie; she turned to Rachel who was signaling with a subtle hand gesture. Ciel picked up the hem of her dress and followed her parents and the Bachs up the staircase.

The Phantomhives and the Bachs entered into a private room blocked by a thick, red curtain. They passed through another curtain and were now overlooking the massive stage on the west side of the theatre. Two rows of seats were situated within the area, it was small but it was able to fit all of them, providing a spectacular view of the stage. They all sat down, lounging against the chairs and waited for the opera to begin.

"So," Margret eyed Ciel with inquiry, swatting her fan just below her face. "You're going to be part of the Faustus family soon . . .how do you feel about that?"

"Uh . . ." Ciel dwelled on the question, avoiding from bluffing and just said in honesty. "I'm somewhat nervous."

"Nervous?" The fan snapped shut and Margret's curious gleam transitioned to minor skepticism. "Shouldn't you be happy?"

"Yes, but—"

"Are you worried that you won't become a proper wife?" Margret suddenly asked, an eyebrow quirked and her lips tightened. "I wouldn't be surprised if that was the issue."

"Margret," Vincent cleared his throat, getting her attention as he said sternly. "Ciel may be nervous, but she's responsible enough to be a supportive wife. Do you believe she won't be suitable?"

"I just don't think she's ready," Margret said, tapping her chin with her fan in consideration. "She's still a young lady and with the fact that she's nervous is enough evidence."

"Mrs. Bach," Ciel cut in, slightly abashed by this but spoke up. "I'm nervous because this engagement happened so fast, it's not because I don't think I'll be a suitable wife. There's a lot going on and it's hard for me to relax."

"Humph." Margret averted her eyes from Ciel, facing forward again. She muttered something incoherently that Ciel couldn't make out, but it wasn't good according to the way that Margret held a sour look.

Ciel sunk in the chair and swore the cushions were going to swallow her up. It was true that she was nervous, but she didn't have to be reminded, especially since her parents were here.

"The show's finally starting." Rachel said,, vaguely disquiet by Margret's words but just let it slide as the curtains rose up, bringing back the silence inside the box again.

When the curtains rose, there was a brief announcement of the opera before it started. The opera was called _La Rose Blanche_, a tragedy about a queen and her unconditional love with her husband, and the forbidden love with a servant.

The opera was narrated by an actor playing a jester. He was singing about the queen's struggles to stay loyal to her husband, while also having an affair with a servant. She loved both dearly, but knew that she had to be with the king. The opera started with the queen receiving a white rose with a note attached to it.

She presumed it was a gift from the king and she reads the note. The note told her to go to the gazebo in the courtyard, so she does so, though she was perplexed why the king didn't just tell her straightforward. Upon entering the gazebo, she found one of the servants instead. He shyly told her that he has admired her for a long time and wanted to give her a gift. The queen was flattered but told him that he shouldn't do that and she quickly left, but she kept the rose.

The queen put the rose away and soon met up with the king. The two shared a dance up on the balcony while the jester sung and the servant watched from the gazebo. A few times, the queen and servant meet eye to eye, but the king doesn't notice anything. Soon the queen ended up going to the gazebo every day in secrecy, meeting up with the servant while the king was oblivious. The two became intimate, but the queen knew it was wrong and tried to keep her distance from the servant. She needed to be faithful with the king and the servant understood this, but he had fallen for her.

Later on in the play, the queen became pregnant, but it's not known who the father was. She kept the pregnancy a secret, relaying on other servants to swear not to tell and support her. Fortunately they stayed faithful to her, but another conflict beckoned.

At the climax of the story, war broke out and the kingdom was under attack. The king fought back with his army, but was killed during the chaos. The queen was unable to mourn his death as she and the servant head to a safer place. However, the queen felt guilty about leaving the king and wanted to go back to him. The servant understood and willingly lets her go, acknowledging the fact that the queen needed to be with her king.

The final act had the servant standing in front of the graves of the king and queen. The queen was shortly killed after she left the servant, but she died by the king's side. The servant placed flowers on the king's grave, but left a single white rose on the queen's grave before walking away.

Once the curtains fell, the theatre erupted with applause, but Ciel was left perplexed. She thought the queen should've just run off with the servant instead of getting herself killed. Ciel didn't understand how everyone enjoyed it; it just left a bad impression on her. Ciel got up from the chair and followed her parents and the Bachs back into the lobby.

"That was so tragic, but the singing and story was phenomenal." Rachel sniffed, taking out a handkerchief to blow her nose. "What did you think, Ciel?"

"It was . . .okay," Ciel said, shrugging loosely. "Though, I think it would've been better if the queen ran off with the servant."

"But she just wanted to be with the one she truly loved." Rachel said.

"I think it was foolish though . . ." Ciel remarked, but decided to stop there. It was just an opera, there really wasn't a need for an in depth discussion about it. But her parents and the Bachs were soon talking about it amongst themselves. Ciel just rolled her eyes as she waited near the stairs; she only wanted to leave now.

Ciel tapped her foot against the marble, high heel clicking but it was faint with all the noise in the lobby. Ciel glanced at her parents and then at Margret who unexpectedly caught her gaze. Ciel's shoulder flinched and she looked away, turning over to the restroom nearby and decided to excuse herself.

Ciel walked into the ornate bathroom that smelled refreshing from the flowers bundled in a vase. She glanced at herself in the mirror, lightly touching her neck that was caked in so much powder, blocking the hickeys from showing.

"I really need to be careful next time . . . " Ciel muttered to herself, running a hand through her hair. She was especially annoyed that she had to lie to her parents about it. If they tell Claude anything, she's dead.

The bathroom door swung open and Ciel practically jumped. She swirled around and saw Margret walking in. Her fan was brought out again and it was covering her mouth. Her eyes were clearly shown and were glancing at Ciel peculiarly.

"This is quite interesting," Margret said, walking up to the sink and staring at the mirror herself. "You would've preferred it if the queen ran off with the servant instead."

"Well, yes." Ciel briefly stated, keeping her focus back on the mirror. She straightened out her hair, pulling it over her shoulder and brushing the strands mindlessly.

"Then do you think she loved the servant more if she went with him?" Margret asked.

Ciel paused and her hand froze midway with fingers tangled within the locks. She then released her hand and placed it on the edge of the sink. Adding small pressure to her palm upon the cool surface.

"I think if they revealed who the father of the child was, then that would answer the question." Ciel remarked. "And I think it was the servant's."

"Oh?" Margret's eyebrow quirked, she pressed the fan to her lips, keeping a peculiar stare on the teen.

"But it's only a opera, that's all. It's not like it actually happened." Ciel added. "Besides, it wasn't that interesting."

"You wanted the queen to be with the servant though." Margret remarked.

"That's because it was foolish of her to run back to the king and get herself killed." Ciel exclaimed; making her point as her nearly voice bounced about the walls of the restroom.

"But it would've been more foolish if she went with the servant." Margret raised a finger and wiggled it in the air. "She was disobeying her husband, but she needed to be loyal to him till the end. The servant just got in her way."

"She loved him too," Ciel reminded, furrowing her brows, she couldn't believe she was retaliating about some performance.

"You don't seem to understand anything, do you?" Margret frowned and her eyes narrowed as they were firmly fixated on the teen. The candles lighting the room made her eyes blaze, turning her tender brown orbs to an eerie gold.

"The queen was being a fool for falling for the servant, it was disrespectful for her and honestly, I was waiting for her and the servant to get caught. I wanted them to be severely punished for the actions they've committed. You are like the queen, foolish and not understanding the consequences. You have always been quite disrespectful."

Ciel finally looked at the woman standing before her. Her stature was making the teen feel small, but she nevertheless spoke. "Where are you going with this?" Ciel calmly asked, albeit apprehensive.

Margret sneered and struck a hand to her hip. Her fan closed with a sharp snap and she positioned it under the teen's chin. "My dear, I am simply telling you that your behavior is not quite suited for a lady. Your parents are trying to hide your mishaps, but they can't anymore. It's quite known that you constantly make mistakes, and there was that one time you ran away. That isn't appropriate at all, and if you are not ready to be a wife, than I advice you to grow up and learn to behave properly. That's how you are relatable to the queen, you don't think reasonably. You're a foolish girl."

Margret pulled her fan away, tossed her head to the side and bustled her way out of the door, leaving Ciel utterly appalled. Ciel didn't know how to react, she had no idea where that came from, but she never felt so humiliated. She staggered back till she was at the wall, staring at her reflection in agitation. Her whole being grew stiff and her mind clouded as Margret's voice repeated over and over again. Ciel knew that she had made many mishaps, but that was too far, and the amount of shame she felt was insufferable. She just wanted to leave, but running from her problems would cause more trouble for her and her family.

She was trapped in a glass box, unable to get out but whenever she could, she was forced back in. She hated how this society worked; she hated how she was treated and how she had to act. Why couldn't she just be herself without anyone telling her otherwise?

"It's not fair . . . " She mumbled to herself over and over, holding her head. She had the dire urge to yell and throw the flower vase at the mirror to further stress her frustration. But then the idea refrained when loud screams provoked the air.

The screams screeched into the restroom and Ciel threw herself out to see what the commotion was. She nearly tripped on her dress when she rushed out, but managed to sustain herself as a spark of adrenaline pumped through.

"Wha—" Ciel froze when she saw a bunch of people crowding around the grand staircase. Ciel pushed herself through to see what happened, struggling to see as many tried to pull her back. Nevertheless, the teen was able to catch a glimpse, but was now regretting it as she stared in trepidation.

A thin trail of blood meandered along the last few steps, staining the white marble. The trail ended at the very bottom, where a particular someone lay sprawled in a crooked position. Her head was split open, spilling more blood as it created a small puddle beneath her. Her neck was broken, twisted around at an impossible angle that was difficult to look at.

"Mrs. Bach . . ." Ciel breathed, finding her voice the only audible sound as everything grew distant, despite that there were many people screaming all around. Diederich rushed down the stairs to his wife and tried to revive her, but to no avail.

Ciel nearly lost her balance and had to support herself on the banister. She trembled and her legs almost gave way as she steadily retracted. She vaguely heard Diederich yelling for someone to help, but she was gone. Margret's eyes were widened open, unable to close as a soundless scream was left in her parted lips. She had tripped over the stairs somehow, broken her neck and crashed her skull against the hard marble. No one had pushed her, or so it seemed.

The blood seeped over to a pair of dark, polished shoes, but the dark cladded man paid no heed that they got dirtied. Sebastian was standing perfectly still and casual while chaos erupted all around. He was hovered over the body; no inch of sympathy was in his darkened, crimson eyes. He was disturbingly calm and it triggered Ciel's stomach to churn, especially when he looked up at her.

Sebastian's gaze threw Ciel back; there was something off about him. His stare pierced through Ciel and she lost her breath. An alarming shiver shocked her, and she swore her heart had forgotten how to work properly. She was shoved into the glass box again, unable to get out and breathe. She was suffocating and there was no way out.

* * *

**A/N: I made the opera up incase anyone was wondering if it was real. I was going to do an actual one, but I couldn't find one that fit in well with the fic. Now the fic is taking a bit of a dark turn, hope that doesn't throw anyone off, but then again, there has been a mysterious vibe through out the fic and I want to keep this suspenseful. So again, love to hear your responses on this, thanks~**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi again, sorry for the delay, I meant to update earlier but I was busy. Here's the new chap and thanks again for the support~****  
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* * *

"Ciel?" Rachel opened the door to her daughter's room to find it shrouded in sheer darkness. The light from the hallway crawled onto the bed and veiled the teen who lay motionless underneath the covers. She didn't even shift when her mom entered the room and sat at the bedside.

"Dear, you've been in your room all day," Rachel said, concern laced in her voice. "I know that you're upset about Margret's death, but you can't stay up here . . ."

"That's not why I'm upset." Ciel mumbled, voice barely audible as she pulled the covers closer to her. "Before Mrs. Bach fell . . .we were in the bathroom together, and she insulted me."

"What?" Rachel gasped quietly and placed a hand on top of the huge bundle scrunched together. "How could she insult you? What did she say?"

Ciel took a moment to unwillingly gather the conversation back. Remembering it caused a profound ache to scorched in her chest and she grumbled mutely. " . . . She told me that I was disrespectful, foolish and that I had to grow up. I wanted to talk back, but the truth is. . .she was right. I have made mistakes, but I didn't have to be reminded. I don't want to be reminded again." Ciel refused to look at her mother who was currently rubbing her back in comfort, but it barely made any effort.

"She didn't deserve it though," Ciel continued, staring blankly at the wall that wasn't touched by the hallway's light. "As much as her words upset me, she didn't deserve to fall to her death. I just wanted her to understand that I could fix my mistakes instead of them backlashing me."

"Oh, sweetie," Rachel leaned over to get a closer look at Ciel, but she faced the other way, taking Rachel aback. "Sweetie, please don't put yourself down like this, it upsets me too."

The ache in Ciel's chest tightened and she tensed more. "I know, I've always upset you, and I'm sorry," Ciel choked out, holding the covers tighter around her. "I'm so, so sorry . . ."

"Ciel," Rachel strained, she hated to see her daughter like this and it hurt her as well. She raised a hand over to her daughter's face, brushing a few strands before Ciel pushed herself away from the touch.

"I want to be alone," Ciel muttered sincerely, though it was painful to say and knew she should've regretted it and let her stay. But her staying wasn't going to ease the pain.

Rachel on the other hand felt useless, unable to help her daughter but could only oblige. Rachel grew reluctant and ashamed, she never wanted to see Ciel like this and it broke her. Rachel stayed for just a few more minutes before leaning down to kiss Ciel's temple and got up. She closed the door behind her, she wanted to at least see Ciel, but she would've witnessed the tears falling down her cheeks.

The tears stained the pillow that Ciel was resting on. The stains turned the white fabric to a moist gray, damping the fabric but Ciel barely cared. She hugged the tear-soaked pillow and stayed where she was in the dark, but she wasn't alone for long. She spotted the shadowed silhouette of Sebastian standing at the corner. He didn't make a move either; he was just standing there like a statue. Perfectly still against the dark, a living shadow that never left her sight.

"You killed her, didn't you?" Ciel inquired, her voice small but clear, breaking the silence in the room.

"She hurt you," Sebastian callously said with no empathy present. "She shouldn't have said all those things, she was the fool."

"So you just pushed her off the stairs?" Ciel asked, now raising her voice as she now glared at Sebastian. She sat up, wiped the tears from her eyes and blurted out: "You murdered someone!"

Sebastian just tilted his head, unnervingly quiet for what seemed like forever. He wasn't stunned by the outburst; in fact, he showed no evidence of emotion except for vague disappointment at her words. Sebastian frowned, but it couldn't be seen. His facial features were veiled off, as if wearing a mask. He walked forward, but his steps were faint. He came across the bedside and brought a hand over to cup the teen's chin. Each finger coiled around the jawline, long fingers prickling the skin and provoked unwelcoming shivers.

"Do you think I care the slightest that I killed someone?" Sebastian whispered dissonantly, "I've done so countless of times, and never once have I felt any sympathy."

"W—Why?" Ciel attempted to draw back, but Sebastian had a firm grip on her chin, pulling her closer till she could feel his breath tickling her ear.

"Because I'm not supposed to feel for them," Sebastian stated sincerely, whispering still and caused Ciel to freeze up. "The same goes for you."

"Wha—" Ciel was cut short when Sebastian's hand crawled to her neck, and like the legs of a spider, he locked his hold around her throat, squeezing till it snapped.

"Sebastian!" Ciel screamed, jolting herself awake. The sun's light stung her blurred eyes, letting loose tears that trailed her face that was moist with sweat. Ciel found herself amidst the morning light as realization dawned on her. It was only a dream.

Ciel heaved in and out heavily while holding her throat. It pulsated against the touch and she fell back on the pillow. She gazed wordlessly at the ceiling as her breathing finally slowed down.

"It was only a dream," she told herself repeatedly in hasty whispers. "Sebastian would never—" Ciel stopped short and shuddered uneasily, rubbing her shoulders as she spoke words she dreaded from escaping. "Would he?"

x~x~x~x~x

Two weeks past since the incident at the opera, and since that time, Ciel hadn't seen Sebastian. She didn't know where he was, or when he'll come back, but she always had a bad feeling etching at the back of her head that something else bad would happen if he did show up again. She didn't know what to think of him now, that dream felt real, frightening real for that matter, and it made her fretful. She tried not to focus on it too much, but the dream continued to haunt her.

It was now the day of the engagement party, but Ciel wasn't looking forward to it. Meyrin woke Ciel up extra early to the teen's resentment. The maid wanted to make sure Ciel was ready and everything was perfect before the party started.

But all Ciel wanted to do was sleep, plus she was sure that the party was later in the afternoon. Nonetheless, Meyrin heated up the bath for the disinclined Ciel who dragged herself to the bathroom.

Ciel slipped out of her nightgown and stepped into the bath. The water was pleasantly warm and it soothed her muscles. She relaxed back while Meyrin took the teen's long hair and begun washing it with shampoo. Meyrin hummed quietly to herself while she worked on Ciel's hair, careful with the long strands and made sure each of them got washed.

"Today will be a great day for you, my lady." Meyrin said confidently with swift nods. She took a bucket of water and carefully spilled it over the hair.

_I doubt it's going to be a great day . . . _Ciel thought bitterly, choosing to ignore the rest of the maid's words as she kept babbling on about her excitement. She went on and on, almost forgetting about her task at hand but Ciel decided to do it herself. Ciel picked up the soap on the ledge of the tub and scrubbed herself, but did so leisurely.

"Oh, sorry!" Meyrin squeaked, blushing furiously that she wasn't doing her job, but Ciel rolled her eyes.

"I can do the rest, Meyrin, just hand me a towel." Ciel simply ordered and the maid did so, but not without apologizing again.

When Ciel finished, she got up and wrapped the towel around herself before leaving the bathroom. She returned to her room, rummaging through her wardrobe to find a dress to her liking, though it was hard since a majority of them were uncomfortable to wear.

Finally, Ciel picked out a simplistic dress with white lace trimmed around the collar and sleeves. She hoped that her mother wasn't going to be disappointed about how plain the dress was, but she could really care less right now.

Meyrin aided Ciel with the corset, making sure it was fastened nicely before putting her in the dress. Ciel stood in front of the full-length mirror as Meyrin clipped the buttons on her back. Meyrin circled around her, checking to make sure the dress fit perfectly, and it did. The maid sighed gratefully to herself and clapped her hands together in satisfaction.

"Now I have to work on your hair," Meyrin declared, but then faltered and gasped, spinning on her heel and nearly tripped. "Oh! I forgot to drain the water in the bath! Be right back!" She squeaked and scurried back into the bathroom.

Ciel sighed inwardly, obliged to have privacy once again. She stared at the mirror, not looking at her reflection, but at the wall behind her. A looming shadow lingered the wall, branching apart and wriggled the surface like veins. A sudden wave of nausea swept Ciel, unsteadiness shook her and she staggered precariously at the mirror. The mirror swayed back and forth before crashing in a heap.

"What was that!?" Meyrin exclaimed, rushing back to the bedroom and saw the broken mirror. She gasped and pulled the recouping Ciel away, standing in front of her.

"What happened, my lady!?" She frantically asked.

Ciel rubbed her head, the dizziness subsided and she turned around. The shadow wasn't there anymore, but she was gripped with ambiguity.

"I just tripped." Ciel briefly answered, unable to leave her gaze at the wall.

x~x~x~x~x

"Congratulations!" Lizzy cheered, the Midfords were one of the first groups of people to arrive, much to Lizzy's delight as she hugged her cousin. Ciel's face nearly turned blue due to the tightness of Lizzy's embrace, but Frances quickly pulled her away and scolded:

"Elizabeth! I'm getting really tired of your misbehavior!" Francis exclaimed, frowning in sheer frustration. She was even more so since her brother and sister in law were right in front of them, but Vincent just smiled.

"Cheer up, Frances," Vincent said, giving his sister a small pat on the shoulder. "This is a special occasion and I don't want you to be so strict about everything."

"He's right," Alex agreed, nodding to Vincent and smiled to his wife. "We all need to cheer up and smile!" Alex exclaimed, throwing his arms out to emphasize more of his enthusiasm. He finally turned to Ciel and gave her a quick hug, which was also bone crushing. "Many cheers to you, my dear! And to your fiancé as well, is he here yet?"

"No, not yet." Ciel said, feigning a smile. "But he should be here shortly." She nodded simply then changed the subject. "Please make yourselves comfortable, the servants will be handing out refreshments soon."

"Okay!" Lizzy said, beaming brightly but then it wavered when Ciel started to leave. Pouting, Lizzy reached over and took her cousin's hand, making her stop. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Ciel said and was dragged over to a secluded room where no one could hear them. They both sat down and Lizzy took a moment to organize her thoughts before speaking. Her smile was gone and she spoke quietly, clasping her hands together.

"Ciel . . . you're not happy about this, are you?" Lizzy gulped down the lump in her throat that prevented her to speak, but now she finally said it and grew hesitant at Ciel's surprised reaction. However, Ciel opened her mouth and dropped her gaze.

" . . . I'm not . . . "Ciel said, exhaling softly, pulling a strand of hair and twisting it around her finger. "I don't know what to do, Liz . . . I can't just keep lying about this, but I don't want to hurt anyone, especially my parents. I don't know what to do . . ."

"Ciel," Lizzy leaned over and wrapped her arms around Ciel, providing comfort to her cousin who hugged back, needing the consolation, as she felt lost and confused. "I'm sorry that you're going through this." Lizzy mumbled before letting go, getting a clear look at her cousin's somber cerulean eyes. Lizzy felt a pang in her heart looking at those eyes.

"It's Sebastian that you want to be with . . .isn't it?" Lizzy guessed quietly and Ciel faltered, turning away. She sat back on the chair; shoulders falling and arms now limp at her sides. She didn't know what to say as the memories of the last encounter came back, followed by the nightmare. Ciel shuddered and idly shook her head.

"I don't know what to think of him now," Ciel said, shutting her eyes temporarily and sunk deeper into the chair. "It's hard to explain . . . and I have no idea what to tell you since I'm not sure myself." Ciel sighed once more and didn't know how to continue on with this, it wasn't going anywhere and was just going to make Lizzy even more confuse and concern.

"I'm sorry," Ciel finished and got up from the chair. This time Lizzy didn't stop her as her cousin walked away. Lizzy just sat there feeling more distress that she couldn't help her.

Ciel approached the foyer where he heard his parents greeting three newcomers. It was Claude and his parents, all content as they shook hands with Rachel and Vincent. Ciel had never met Lord and Lady Faustus and was struck paralyze when they spotted her.

"Ah, there she is!" Lord Faustus exclaimed enthusiastically, he shared that same eye color as Claude, but they sustained warmth in them. Lord Faustus took the teen's hand and respectfully placed a peck on her knuckle. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Phantomhive."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Ciel bowed her head in respect and turned to Lady Faustus. "And to you as well, Lady Faustus." Finally she faced Claude who held a different smile, peculiarly welcoming but Ciel wasn't fazed. She bowed to him too. "Hello again, Mr. Faustus."

Claude came over to stand in front of Ciel and also gave her a kiss on the hand. "Hello to you as well, Miss. Phantomhive."

Ciel prohibited a shudder and just nodded at the acknowledgment. Claude still had that odd smile, he was trying to be courteous but Ciel assumed it was just a façade. Nevertheless, she went along with his game and exchanged a similar smile.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Miss. Phantomhive." Claude said, gazing at the dress from top to bottom. His parents agreed, pleased by how the teen looked and behaved. A tinge of blush was hinted on Ciel's face from the attention and needed to shake it off.

"Thank you," Ciel said in respect, though loathed the fact that she said that to him. It was going to be a long party.

x~x~x~x~x

"May I have your attention, please?" Vincent asked, speaking over the crowd seated at the dining table, waiting for them to settle down. Once they did, Vincent rose up and acknowledged his guests with the highest veneration.

"I am truly honored to have you all here tonight for the engagement of my daughter, Ciel and her fiancé, Claude Faustus. The Phantomhives and Faustus have been acquainted with each other for a long time, and soon, we will be joined as one family." Vincent picked up his glass and raised it in the air. "To Ciel and Claude, may they have good health and a prosperous future together!"

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered, clinking their glasses together before taking sips of the champagne. Vincent sat back down, clinking his glass with Ciel before kissing her on the cheek. Rachel mimicked on the other cheek and Ciel felt a surge of embarrassment. Though she couldn't help but smile since her parents and everyone else were so happy. They were all having a great time as they ate and talked, filing the air with so much merriment.

Ciel looked over at Lizzy, she too was having a good time as she chatted with some of their cousins. She was laughing, tears of joy at the brim of her eyes and meandered down her flushed cheeks. It was like she had forgotten about the conversation they had a few hours ago, but Ciel was glad that Lizzy could smile so cheerfully as if nothing was wrong.

Ciel's smile was sincere as she glanced at everyone's jovial faces. The more she heard them speak, the more she was at ease and could easily breathe. It was a great relief, a splendid comfort for her . . . but she was forgetting about her own happiness, and her wellbeing.

Suddenly, nausea rushed back to plague Ciel again, causing her vision to become unstable as the room spun. Ciel blinked several times, attempting to adjust herself but to no avail. Sickness aroused and she clutched her stomach, her eased breathing was now rigid. She forced herself out of the chair, promptly excusing herself as she hurried out of the dinning hall.

She caught the attention of Claude, piquing his curiosity as he got up. Claude excused himself as well and followed tow. Ciel's sudden disappearance also alarmed Lizzy and some of the other guests. Rachel and Vincent exchanged looks of mild concern and they stared out into the hall, wondering if something was wrong.

Ciel split into another room, grabbing the wall for support as her legs nearly broke way. She rested her head to the wall, the cool sensation was a blessing as she closed her eyes, waiting for the nausea to disappear.

"Are you alright, Miss Phantomhive?" Claude asked, nearly startling the teen. Claude walked over to Ciel slowly, reaching out a hand to aid her.

"I. . ." Ciel started and then groaned as the sickening feeling intensified. She staggered with her feet shuffling ineptly till they slipped. Claude swiftly caught her, but Ciel feebly pushed him away, nearly knocking over a vase to her left.

"I honestly don't know . . ." Ciel strained in a broken voice, Claude came back over and took her shoulders. For once, he looked genuinely concern as he gazed at the frail teen.

However, Ciel pulled herself away from Claude's touch again. She backed off till something pinned her to the ground. At the far end of the room, right next to the window glazed in ice, was Sebastian. His cold gaze bore into Ciel and she could see nothing but the hardened crimson obscuring her vision. This was shortly followed by darkness encasing her mind. Ciel fell back, but Claude caught her before she collided with the floor.

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**A/N: Next chapter, Sebastian's identity will finally be revealed. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yay we're a bit over 100 reviews~ Sorry that this chap is short, but Sebastian's identity will be revealed so that's good, right? I'm going to the beach this week, thus no internet, so I'll write the next chap during that time and the chap will be updated next Sunday or Monday. Till then, enjoy~**

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_The serene sound of wind chimes echoed with unison as the wind swept passed them, providing limited flight for the instruments. Snow fell, creating a soft blanket of ice in the vast clearing. Ciel found herself in the midst of it, staring wordlessly at her surroundings with awe. She was kneeled on top of the blanket, wearing a flowing white robes that spread out across the snow, blending in seamlessly. Trees made of glass surrounded her in a full circle. Their branches all held silver wind chimes, crystallized by the snow that fell upon them._

_The wind chimes rung once more as another wind blew by, a wrought beauty of whistles and whispers. They swayed in a graceful manner, chimes gently clinking to emote a soft tune. Two trees then curved to opposite sides, lending down till the chimes touched the snow. The trees broke forth a path into the forest of glass. Ciel steadily stood up, taking diligent steps forward as the trees bowed down to her._

_Once she entered, the curved trees returned to their positions, and the wind chimes resumed their hums. The glass trees were lined up in an organized fashion with equivalent sizes of about fifteen feet in height. The trail that Ciel stride curved about every once in a while, but the trees were still lined side by side. _

_Ciel glanced up at the sky; it was dark and cloudless, yet the snow was still falling. There wasn't a moon or stars to accompany the sky. But yet the trees and snow were illuminated by an unknown source, lighting up the area for Ciel to walk across._

_Before Ciel traveled too far, she jolted when a screech reached her ears, disturbing the tranquility of the night. A crow was sitting on a branch nearby, glancing down at Ciel with beady red eyes. It tilted its head at unusual angles, tapping its talons upon the branch. It flapped its wings, ready to take flight as it cried out again._

_Ciel moved towards the bird, but immediately the crow took flight and dashed through the air. Ciel chased after it, curious to know where it was heading. The wind blew harsher and the chimes intensified, sounding much like bells as they collided against the blistering wind._

_The crow led Ciel to the end of the forest, finding herself on top of a hill. As far as she could see, the rest of the area was rolling hills that kept overlapping each other. They traveled to an unknown destination towards the dark horizon. The only sound was the subtle flaps of the crow's wings, breaking through the icy air. The crow blended in with the darkness, but Ciel continued to follow it as she rushed down the hill, keeping her eyes on the bird._

_The crow finally landed on the snow, folding its wings behind and held its head up as it watched Ciel run up to it. Ciel huffed, lost of breath from the running and sat down in front of the bird. Ciel stared down at the crow, leisurely reaching a hand towards it. The crow fluttered its wing and leaned forward. Before a touch was sustainable, everything faded to white as snow obscured the scene._

Ciel stirred, confronting a blend of blurred colors as she opened her eyes. Voices echoed all around her, unable to make out what they were saying. She blinked several times till everything became clear. She was in her bed, surrounding by some of her family members and Claude who was the closest to her. He was dabbing a cloth damped with cold water on Ciel's head, cooling down the fever that had suddenly erupted.

"Good, you're awake." Claude remarked, smiling down at Ciel who gave him a drowsy look, weak and unable to move much. "A doctor should be here shortly to see what's wrong. How are you feeling now?"

"Tired . . ." Ciel slurred, " I just got dizzy, that's all."

"You're burning though," Claude added a bit more pressure to her forehead with the cloth.

"Great . . ." Ciel muttered under her breath, everything felt so numb that she didn't realize that Claude was also holding her hand till spotting the action. She frowned feebly but couldn't muster the strength to argue, or rather speak much.

Rachel was also holding Ciel's hand, rubbing it gently and fighting back the tears in her eyes. "Dear, please tell us what happened, you were just fine awhile ago, weren't you?"

"I was fine," Ciel said quietly, "But I suddenly became dizzy and blacked out . . .how long have I been out?"

"A few hours," Rachel answered, she was on the brink of tears as she squeezed her daughter's hand. Vincent was besides her, he was just as worried as Rachel. They were also troubled that this had happen on this day that was supposed to be grand.

Fairly soon, the doctor had arrived and immediately went to Ciel's room to see what the problem was. Ciel groaned inwardly to herself when the doctor entered. It was Dr. Grell Sutcliff; one of the most eccentric doctors Ciel ever came across, so she wasn't thrilled.

"What seems to be the problem?" Dr. Sutcliff asked while he brought out a clipboard from beneath his coat.

Ciel sat up, resting her back against the headboard and sighed. "I suddenly became dizzy and then fainted, that's all. I should feel better soon."

"Hmmm," Dr. Sutcliff scribbled notes on the clipboard, nodding as Ciel spoke. He faced the teen, finally looking at her directly. "Has this happened before?"

"Earlier this morning I was slightly dizzy, but it was nothing." Ciel exclaimed, but left the part about the incident with the mirror. "Then awhile ago it happened again."

"Uh-huh," Dr. Sutcliff clicked his tongue and resumed scribbling on the clipboard, nodding once more. "How do you feel now?"

"Tired," Ciel rubbed her head, closing her eyes with the drowsiness rocking her mind back and forth, beckoning her to embrace sleep but she didn't allow it, at least not yet.

"Anything else? Does your stomach hurt? Do you have a headache?" Dr. Sutcliff now asked, yearning for more details so he could get enough information.

"She has a fever." Claude said; he still had the cloth over the teen's head, making effort to cool the burning. "But it appeared so suddenly though."

"Ah," Dr. Sutcliff said, taking a quick glance at Claude and back at the clipboard. "Well, it doesn't sound like anything peculiar, just a regular sickness it seems. I advise you, dearie to stay in bed till your fever's down. Now tell me, what do you think triggered this nausea? It has happened two times today and at no other time beforehand?"

"It could be stress," Ciel stated, shrugging nonchalantly. "A lot has been going on lately and today is my engagement party, so that could be it."

"That would be a likely explanation," Dr. Sutcliff said, adjusting his oddly framed red glasses, pushing them back to the bridge of his nose. "Stress does trigger a weakness in health if you suffer a lot from it."

"Yeah . . ." Ciel nodded, but had the hunch it was something else, especially since she grew nauseous whenever she saw Sebastian. And what was with that dream she had? As well as the one weeks before? Her stomach churned and she lightly wrapped her fingers around her neck, remembering the firmness of Sebastian's hand squeezing the life out of her.

"Ciel."

Ciel jolted by Claude's voice, immediately releasing her hand and returned back to reality. She stared blankly at all the concern looks etched on everyone's faces. Dr. Sutcliff wrote down another note, mumbling inaudible words to himself. A heavy air hung in the room and Ciel was in the midst of it with all eyes on her. They were speculating if it really was stress waning her down, or something else. They exchanged looks and hurried whispers while keeping keen eye contact. This went on for several minutes, but it felt like hours as everyone talked amongst themselves.

Having enough, Ciel tossed the sheets off of her and pushed herself out of bed. The drowsiness dissolved as she found the strength to rush out of the room and disappear down the hall before anyone called for her. Silence filtered the room, till Dr. Sutcliff finally spoke up.

"She should be back soon." Dr. Sutcliff assured, adding another note to his clipboard.

x~x~x~x~x

Ciel huddled her arms together to cut off the cold, she was outside, sitting on the stone bench in front of the frozen lake. She refused to be inside where everyone was making a commotion and being loud. Outside gave her a poignant comfort, despite the coldness prickling her. It was blissfully quiet for once, and she really needed it.

She closed her eyes, listening to the quiet murmurs of the wind whispering secrets that she couldn't comprehend. The air tickled her ear, at first it was pleasant but after a while it was irritating, attempting to shatter her time of amity. But she shattered it herself when she was reminded of the dream from last night. She heard the wind chimes ringing in her ears and the crying of the crow in the night. Ciel opened her eyes, droopy-lidded as she reached out a hand. Drops of snow fell upon her fingertips like teardrops. She encased the flakes with the coiling of her fingers and returned the hand to her lap.

"Sebastian," She mumbled, a small breath of frosty air escaped her lips. She exhaled softly; barely audible against the wind that was no longer whispering. She heard footsteps crunching upon the snow behind her, but she stayed motionless.

"It's not a good idea to be out here in the cold, especially in your condition." A large black overcoat fluttered in the air and rested over Ciel's frail shoulders. Ciel took the overcoat, huddling it close to her and sighed at its warmth.

Claude sat down next to Ciel, but the teen didn't protest, and instead just allowed him to sit. Ciel faced away from him and stared mindlessly down at the white blanket coating the ground.

"It's not that cold out," Ciel muttered quietly, though she didn't actually mind the warmth from the coat. It had a sweet smell to it also, but Ciel didn't get indulge in it.

"What's on your mind, my dear?" Claude asked, changing the subject as he glanced at the teen thoughtfully. "You left so abruptly—"

"I needed time for myself." Ciel snapped, cutting Claude off but kept her focus away from him. "It's no one's business what's wrong . . ."

"Are you sure?" Claude inquired, he scooted towards Ciel while she leaned away, but Claude wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her back to him. "It's not good to lie, my dear."

"I'm not lying about anything, I'm just . . ." Ciel faltered as she looked up at Claude, caught in his gaze. His rich golden eyes stared down at her with a tinge of curiosity. Undoubtedly, Ciel knew it was lust whenever he looked at her. She attempted to pull away but Claude had a secure grip to her.

"What are you trying to say?" He inquired; he cupped her cheek and leaned in more. Ciel was unable to move and her voice had left her. Her heart was audible in her ears, accelerating at an incredible speed. Ciel shook her head hastily and squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands reached to Claude's shoulders, lightly drawing him back.

"Don't." She urged, grateful to find her voice again but it sounded broken, as if she was lost of breath. "I'm not feeling well . . .what else is there to tell you?" The dizziness was unfortunately coming back and she cursed interiorly to herself for it to stop.

"I want to know what else could be troubling you." Claude stated earnestly, taking the teen's hands before she was able to avoid the touch. His hands however were warm around Ciel's freezing ones, providing more comfort as well as the coat fastened around her.

"It's_ nothing._" Ciel strained, gritting her teeth to emphasize her point further. Claude on the other hand pouted, obviously not believing her. He wasn't going to take 'stress' as the answer to this. Claude couldn't allow her to feel that way towards the marriage, it was improper. She should be thrilled, but he knew how difficult she was. Nonetheless, he had to fix that.

"My dear, I only want to help you." Claude lifted Ciel's hands, pressing his lips to the delicate skin. Ciel shuddered by the touch, but there was another reason as the temperature dropped to a colder degree and a harsh wind howled. Ciel instinctively pulled the coat closer to her, hiding the tremor within the heavy material.

"How would you even help?" Ciel inquired and glanced up at Claude again. She hesitated, trapped again by the eyes that drew closer till she saw nothing but those golden irises. They closed and Ciel was thrown off guard when his lips met hers.

Ciel's eyes widened and she couldn't hear her heart beating, nor hear the wind howling. What she did hear though, was the harsh beating of wings as she witnessed the fall of black feathers.

_Ciel blinked and found herself still sitting on the bench, but instead of Claude, it was Sebastian with her. He was standing in front of her, poised with that familiar eerie but elegant air. Ciel kept herself composed, but didn't know how long she could muster it. _

_She was in the same clearing that she was in the dream. The gentle wind chimes were playing in the background and the snow was falling at a gradual descent. Sebastian took a step forward, and then another till Ciel finally spoke up._

_"Please . . . tell me what's going on." Ciel desperately asked, she was immensely tired of not getting answers as well as everything going on right now. But Ciel held her breath when Sebastian now glared at her; though it was evident he was reluctant to do so. Now he finally had to speak._

_"Ciel . . ." his velvety voice didn't mask the weightiness of the words that finally spilled out. ". . . I wasn't supposed to save you when we first met. I was supposed to end it."_

_"Wh—what . . .?" Those few words struck a profound cord within Ciel and she was now utterly petrified. Her sheer look of desperation swiftly transitioned to that of horror in a millisecond. She quavered and it felt like her world was tumbling down at once. Her mind was unresponsive and her heart was felt like it dropped into a pit. She could only gaze frightfully at Sebastian who was currently a stranger to her. Sebastian was apprehensive as well, but he continued regardless._

_". . . You were supposed to die from an illness that you would've caught from staying out in the rain for so long, but I prevented it. I couldn't allow someone like you to die despite that I've killed so many."_

_"S—so you did kill Mrs. Bach . . .and others?" Ciel gulped down heavily. "But you're . . .keeping me alive?"_

_"Yes," Sebastian nodded slowly, averting his eyes from Ciel. "But because I did so, you are weakening, hence why you haven't been feeling well as of late. Your soul has become incredibly fragile, it's breaking, and sooner or later, it will shatter."_

_". . . I'm going to die then?" Ciel mumbled with quivered lips and her body stiffened altogether. Sebastian swept down on one knee and took the teen's hands._

_"No, I'm not going to let that happen." Sebastian confirmed, squeezing the hands lightly and caressing them. "I promise, I won't."_

_Ciel glanced down at the clasped hands over hers. Her hands were shaking within, but Sebastian resumed the stroking to ease her._

_"Why do you care so much about me?" Ciel asked almost inaudibly._

_"Because all I've ever done is end lives, it's my duty. But for once I want to save at least one, and the one that I choose is yours. Ciel," Sebastian paused just when the wind hushed, and the wind chimes ceased their ringing. "I'm the Grim Reaper."_

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**A/N: And it's revealed~ though I'm a bit worried that I've thrown some of you guys off with the twist. I wanted Sebastian to be something different instead of just a demon or another supernatural being that he has been before, so I think him being a Grim Reaper would be an interesting change. I don't think that has happened before in other fics. Congrats to WalachianVampiri for guessing it right, though PhantomxK said Angel of Death, does that also count? I think it does, so congrats to you too~ All of the other guesses were good as well, I especially like the ideas of him being a guardian angel and a time traveler. **

**Seb was originally going to be a ghost, but I've noticed in some other fics that he is one, so I didn't do it. But again, very good guesses~ ****In speaking of guesses, I had the feeling some of you guys would question if Ciel's pregnant or will be. Unfortunately that's not going to happen and I'm sorry if you wanted it. Besides, it would've been predictable and I like to add twists and such. Once again, thank you for the support and I'll have the next chap next weekend~**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry for the short length of this chap, I couldn't help but end it with another cliffhanger. I'm sorry, I had to, it's an impulse that's hard for writers to avoid~ Anyways, I'm quite surprised that I didn't get a lot of reactions to Sebastian's identity. Now I definitely enjoyed reading the reactions I got, but I assumed there was going to be more especially since his identity has been the big mystery in this fic. Also a heads up, this fic will be ending in two or three more chapters. I did say a while back that this was going to be a short fic, so it's going to be ending soon~ Thanks again for the support. **

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_"The Grim Reaper . . ." Ciel echoed, lost with words except for those three that embodied her fear, but Sebastian's calm demeanor attempted to hide that._

_"I didn't want to tell you, at least not yet." Sebastian exclaimed quietly, he continued to caress Ciel's hands, but she pulled away which sadly didn't surprise him._

_"When were you going to tell me then?" Ciel asked steadily, averting her gaze but wasn't sure whether to look back again. _

_"I was hoping that I never would. I'm not supposed to interfere here too much unless I'm doing my job, which is why I only allow you to see me. But now I'm running out of time to save you." Sebastian said. The wind chimes resumed playing in the distance and the wind howled, blowing past the two and making their attires sway._

_Ciel remained motionless and was sure that the ground was going to break way and suck her in. The area was darkening with each tree vanishing, leaving behind the fainting sound of wind chimes ringing in the air. She heard her name being called but she was unable to respond. She returned her gaze to Sebastian, albeit reluctant however, but couldn't look away now. His crimson irises were softened, but Ciel couldn't grasp the comfort that they provided before, no matter how sincere he appeared. _

_Shadows crawled across the ground, dying the snow in black. The falling cascade of white was of soot and the trees were all gone now. Sebastian reached out a hand for Ciel to take but she hesitated as a pang shot through her. She writhed from the tension and backed away, shutting her eyes as Sebastian called her name. _

Ciel blinked open her eyes just when Claude broke the kiss. What had just happened in her mind was only a second in reality. The snow was starting to stop and the gray clouds were about to open up. But Ciel couldn't sense the warmth of the sun's light streaming out. She was so numb that she couldn't feel the single tear that meandered down her cheek. Claude brushed it off with the gentle gesture of his thumb stroking her skin.

"We should get back inside." Claude suggested calmly. Before Ciel could say anything, Claude took her in his arms and lifted her up. Ciel emitted a soft gasp in surprise and was carried back inside.

"Ciel!" Lizzy cried, running up to the two once they entered a room. Ciel feebly glanced over to her cousin who was at the brink of tears.

Claude lay Ciel down on a couch and kept his coat around her like a blanket. Some of the guests came over to see how Ciel was doing, but Claude told them—and Lizzy—that his fiancee needed some privacy. Reluctant, the guests nevertheless acknowledged Claude's wish and they left the room. But Lizzy stayed at the doorway quietly with her head peeking in.

Claude placed a hand over Ciel's forehead and found that the fever hadn't subsided. She was still warm and was struggling to stay conscious. Claude brushed off loose strands of her hair, getting a clear look at his fiancée's pale face.

"You're burning up again," Claude stated, "You shouldn't have gone outside, you need to be more careful."

Ciel dismissed the statement and just asked wearily, "Where's Lizzy?"

Lizzy's head perked at the mention of her name and she instantly returned to her cousin's side. "Here I am, Ciel." She took Ciel's hand and held to it, her fingers crossed over the engagement ring and her trepidation intensified.

Ciel faced Claude again who never left her sight. "Can you leave us for a few minutes?" She asked.

"Certainly." Claude didn't hesitate at the statement and left the room, leaving the cousins alone, but it was just going to be a short while till he returns.

"Liz," Ciel now turned to Lizzy with concern written allover her face. Her breathing was partially labored and with her other hand, she held close to the coat. "You're the only one I can really talk to right now. . . but it's difficult to explain what's going on with me. I'm confused and. . . I'm scared."

Lizzy got on her knees and pulled herself closer to the couch. She was stunned by her cousin's words and felt like her heart was about to shatter. She attempted to shake it off with a smile as she shook her head. "Th—there's no need to be scared, Ciel. I'm here, your family's here. We're all here to help you."

"I don't think there's anything you can do though." Ciel said indifferently.

Lizzy's smile fell and her mouth quivered before speaking. "I . . .I don't understand what you mean." She choked and sniffled, struggling to control herself as the tears broke way. "Why don't you think we'll be able to help you?" She squeezed her cousin's hand, refusing to let go as she sat there almost hopelessly.

". . .I can't say," Ciel said, the strength in her hand that Lizzy was holding was weakening. "I don't want to scare you."

"You're already scaring me." Lizzy hiccupped, not bothering to wipe away the tears that made her face shimmer vaguely. "Please . . .please don't be like this. You'll be fine, you'll be fine."

"Lizzy . . ." Ciel wanted to explain to her what was really going on, but she didn't know how, or what exactly to say. She could only watch as her cousin collapsed in tears as she tried to assure her that she'll be fine. But Ciel didn't know what to think, and it scared her more and more. What frightened her the most was what Sebastian had said, and she wasn't sure if she truly felt safe around him anymore.

Lizzy released Ciel's hand and steadily got up. She wiped off the tears, but her eyes were still glassy. "I'll go get Dr. Sutcliff to see if there's anything else he could do for you." Lizzy said and left the room hastily.

She ran past Claude who returned back to the room with a cup of tea. He offered the cup to Ciel, but she declined and just wanted to rest. But she wondered if sleeping would provoke any more nightmares, so she stayed awake.

"Ciel," Claude placed the cup down on the coffee table and sat down on a chair. He glanced at Ciel who now had her back turned on him. "When you get better, you should stay with me for awhile. Perhaps it will ease your stress and you might be more comfortable, especially since we'll be married soon. You should get used to your new home instead of being stuck here."

". . .I don't know . . ." Ciel muttered, sinking deeper within the couch while Claude's large coat encompassed her entirely.

"It will be for the best, Ciel." Claude proclaimed with quiet words for an attempt to reason with her. But in return, Ciel shuddered slightly but stayed motionless once again on the couch.

"Just leave me alone." Ciel remarked with an ounce of annoyance and distress rippling through her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and huddled herself closer together.

Claude sighed and got up from the chair, he scooted the cup closer towards Ciel's direction, but there was the slim chance she was going to drink it. Claude straightened himself up and headed towards the door.

"Give me an answer when you're ready." He said calmly, but it sounded more like a demand to Ciel who groaned subtly in response. His footsteps died down, but another set approached her, and she knew who it was without even looking.

Sebastian rested a hand on Ciel's shoulder, but she flinched away the gentle touch. Sebastian's gaze lowered and returned the hand to his side, wrapping it into a loosen fist. He stayed just a few feet from Ciel, watching her silently as she feebly shuffled within the coat. A small cough was released from the teen and she quaked, holding herself securely while Sebastian yearned to comfort her.

"Ciel . . ." Sebastian finally walked forward, but halted by Ciel's words that struck a nerve in both of them.

"I want you to get away from me, Sebastian."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm horrible with getting things updated on time. I've been focused on other things latly like freaking out over the new Legend of Korra trailer and getting into Attack on Titan and watching all the latest eps. Yeah, you can throw tomatoes at me for my tardiness, go ahead. Fortunately the chap's ****finally updated, and it's the second to last one so enjoy~ **

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Sebastian retracted his step, stricken in vain and knew it was futile to try and reassure. After all, he didn't want to tell Ciel about this and the reveal only made matters worse. A thick wall blocked between them, preventing any interference. The wall pushed against Sebastian, driving him away and he couldn't find the willpower to break it down. Sebastian reluctantly turned away, though waited in hopes that Ciel might reconsider. The seconds slipped into minutes and the wait became hard to bear. He closed his eyes, and in that instant, he disappeared.

Ciel then glanced over her shoulder, but she was too late. She stared wordlessly at the empty room, the loneness was practically hurting her. Wracked with guilt, Ciel whimpered subtly and covered her face, laying back on the armrest and felt hot tears stinging her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled to herself, pressuring her palms against her eyes and intensifying the pain. "I'm so sorry . . ."

A hand lightly tapped Ciel's head and she gasped. She freed her eyes in hopes to see if it was Sebastian, but it wasn't. Claude had came back to check on her, despite that he was previously present a few minutes ago.

"You really should drink your tea," Claude suggested, gesturing to the tea that was starting to get cold. "It'll help with your fever."

Ciel blinked away her tears and glanced at the tea from the corner of her eye. She watched solemnly as the last of the steam faded into nothingness. Ciel steadied herself in a sitting position and picked up the cup, figuring that she might as well drink it while it's still warm. Ciel took a few sips; it tasted good but it could use a bit more sugar.

"Do you want me to get you anything else?" Claude asked.

"No," Ciel shook her head, sitting back against the couch and continued to sip slowly. "But . . ." she paused, glancing down at the brownish liquid in the small cup. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Anything." Claude didn't hesitate to reply, wondering what his fiancée wanted.

". . .If I were to stay with you, and then be your wife," Ciel placed the cup back on the table, emitting a soft clink. She finally looked back at Claude, albeit tentative and continued steadily, "Can you promise not to hurt me in any way?"

Claude frowned, thrown off by those words and stared at Ciel with perplexity and disappointment. "Why do you think I would ever hurt you? After all the things that I've done for you, you still doubt me."

"Just promise me that . . . "Ciel stressed, biting down on her lip and added pressure to the soft skin. "Please . . ."

Claude's frown gradually transitioned to a small smile and he placed a hand over his heart to acknowledge the promise. "Certainly, my dear."

x~x~x~x~x

Ciel shortly got before, though there was still evidence of coughing and a chill. Her parents had agree that she should stay with Claude for a while, figuring that a change of environment and being with her fiancé would ease her.

Claude's mansion was in Liverpool, settled in a quaint countryside just outside the city. Wrought iron gates surrounded the mansion that was adorned with gothic architecture. A cobblestone walkway led to the front doors that bore large ebony knockers. Before knocking, Claude and Ciel were welcomed by Hannah who bowed her head in greeting. She quietly took Ciel's belongings and led them to one of the guest rooms. Claude assumed that Ciel would want her own room for the time being.

Ciel surveyed the room that she'll be staying for a while. One thing that stood out was the wall that held the portrait that Claude had painted for her. Her portrait appeared more beautiful than she was, but that seemed to be the intention. Her portrait self was gazing upward and she followed tow. The ceiling was decorated with carvings of flowers etched across, branching over to a chandelier. Ciel's gaze finally fell upon the bed that was enveloped in a canopy.

Hannah parted the canopy, revealing the queen-sized bed with thick sheets and blankets topped off with many pillows. Hannah smoothed her hand across the bedspread, making sure it was entirely flat. She patted the bed gently and turned back to Ciel.

"Enjoy your stay Miss. Phantomhive," Hannah said and headed over to the door. "Please notify me if you need anything."

Ciel nodded and Hannah left her be, closing the door gently behind where it shut with a soft click. Ciel then started to unpack her belongings; she didn't bring much since she wasn't going to be here for long, so she only brought what was most precious to her. Ciel placed a few portraits of her family on the nightstand. Already she was starting to miss them, but she didn't allow her emotions to get to her again, not in this time or place.

When Ciel was settled, she decided to explore the mansion for a bit to pass the time. She ventured down one of the halls, glancing upon the many paintings decorating the walls. The halls were long and winding, almost like a labyrinth.

Servants passed through the corridors, including a pageboy around fourteen. He had short blond hair that flew as he hurried and turquoise eyes that flashed when he spotted Ciel.

"Oh! It's you, isn't it?" The teen pointed, running up to the alerted Ciel, stopping in front of her. "You're the one marrying Claude, right? What was your name again?"

"Ciel." Ciel blinked, taken aback slightly from the sudden exclamation from the teen.

The teen smiled widely and snapped his fingers. "Right! Claude had told me a bit about you. I'm Alois, I work here as the pageboy." Alois greeted, then suddenly took Ciel's arm, dragging her forward. "I'd like to show you something, c'mon!" '

"W—wait!" Ciel exclaimed while Alois tugged her to another corridor, rushing down the grand staircase. Ciel snatched up the hem of her dress so she didn't trip. Alois on the other hand chuckled with much enthusiasm. He didn't mind running despite that there were many obstacles around.

Soon they reached their destination, which was the sunroom. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the many windows, coating the room in soft colors minutes before clouds cover the sun.

"There!" Alois pointed to something wedged off one of the windows. There was an elegantly woven spider web held against the glass. The sun's light slipped passed it and gave it a glossy shine. A spider was there, busy devouring a helpless fly.

"I spotted it not too long ago," Alois stated cheerfully, "I couldn't put it back outside, it'll die, so I placed it here so it could have a home. Isn't it beautiful?"

Ciel's face scrunched in disgust together as she watched the spider finishing its meal. Remnants of the fly's wings and legs broke off, but it wasn't possible to see the bits fall. When the spider finished, it spider crawled down its web, hanging by a thread. It faced their direction and Ciel could image its black beady eyes staring back at her. Ciel gulped subtly and felt a familiar chill, there wasn't anything beautiful about fear.

"Why did you want to show me this?" Ciel asked.

"You should know about ever inhabitant in this household since you'll be living here." Alois insisted; keeping his eyes fixated on the spider. "Isn't that right?" He asked the spider, and of course it didn't reply. Ciel gave him a strange look while Alois didn't notice and chuckled lightly.

"It's nice here," Alois continued, supporting his balance on the balls of his feet. "'Course there's a lot of work to be done, but nevertheless it's home. And in speaking of work," Alois glanced out of the window from the corner of his eye. "I have to serve Claude his afternoon tea, so I have to go. It's nice to finally meet you." Alois waved and jogged off.

"Welcome to your new home!" he added before leaving the room, leaving Ciel as she turned back to the spider who was now expanding its web. The sun finally fell beneath the clouds.

" . . .New home."

x~x~x~x~x

Originally Ciel was supposed to stay for just a few days, but those days turned into nearly two months. Reason being was that her parents thought it would be necessary despite that they did miss their daughter terribly. But they wanted her to begin her life with Claude early however.

Ciel couldn't put into words how annoyed she was, but she didn't have much to complain. Claude never took any sort of advantage that she would be wary of. Instead, he was acting like a gentleman towards her and was as polite as possible. It appeared that Claude was keeping his promise, but Ciel was skeptical nonetheless.

It was now a few days before the wedding; a few days before Ciel's life would take a new dramatic turn. She was wholeheartedly nervous and sometimes it was hard to think properly as the day grew closer.

"Miss Phantomhive?" A gentle knock came at Ciel's door and Hannah quietly entered. She found Ciel lying on her bed, fully engrossed in a book. "Miss. Phantomhive?" Hannah called again, but kept her voice quiet.

"Yes?" Ciel asked and saw Hannah carrying a ball gown in her arms. Ciel frowned and shut the book, the pages slapping into each other.

"Master Faustus would like you to put this dress on, afterwards he wants to see you in the ballroom." Hannah instructed, holding up the dress so Ciel could get a closer look. The dress was a rich crimson, exquisitely layered and stitched with gold trimmings. However, Ciel's frown didn't cease upon seeing the dress. She barely wore red since it never suited her, so she doubted it was going to look good.

Ciel sighed, pulling herself off the bed and was aided by Hannah to put the dress on. Afterwards, Hannah fixed her hair; letting one half flow over her shoulder while the rest cascaded down her back. Hannah then applied makeup; she painted scarlet red across Ciel's lips and coated her face in pure white powder. Lastly, Hannah wove a large diamond and ruby necklace around Ciel's neck, accompanying it with matching earrings.

Ciel glanced at herself in the mirror, and as she predicted, she didn't approve of this appearance. She didn't look like herself; it was a different person in that mirror. Her reflection was nothing more than a doll that was going to be played with.

"Are you ready, Miss. Phantomhive?" Hannah asked, now standing at the door and holding it open.

Ciel averted her eyes from the mirror and walked over to the maid. Her dress swept across the carpet in a fluid motion, a sea of flames drenched in the fabrics. Ciel exited the room, ill at ease of what was to come.

x~x~x~x~x

A gold chandelier hung down in the very center of the ceiling, brightening the oval shaped ballroom. Also in the center of the ballroom was a grand piano painted in shimmering gold. Claude was standing next to the instrument, hand gently patting the closed lid as he waited for his fiancée. Once she arrived, he smiled and immediately lifted up the lid, gesturing a hand to the row of ivory keys.

"Would you like to play something?" Claude asked generously, stepping aside from the piano. His stature was patient and composed, standing in the midst of the opulent room. The marble floor was even polished to perfection. Everything appeared flawless and bright, blossoming a jaunty atmosphere as if it was summer.

Ciel eyed Claude first and then the piano, which practically glowed from under the chandelier's light. She didn't respond and sat herself down at the bench, pulling it closer to the piano till she felt adjusted. She lent her fingers onto the smooth keys, taking a moment to think of what to play before starting. The melody was slow, beginning at the high keys before descending downward. She created a rhythm that repeated over and over, weaving together a melancholy tune that took away the bright ambiance of the room.

Listening to the melody was like watching the snowfall or the rain shower, dripping upon the ground in a soundless beat. It was a somber reminder to Ciel that nothing was going to get better for her. Ever since the day Sebastian had told her of her possible fate, she could feel parts of her life slipping away at every given moment. Now it was going to become worst as the wedding draws near and she didn't know what was going to break her first. She was practically playing her own funeral march.

"Ciel."

Ciel gasped, pulling herself away from the keys in haste. She panted vaguely with quivering hands that revealed a deathly pale appearance. When she came to her senses, she steadily got to her feet and backed off a few steps. She nearly lost her footing but maintained balance and stared at the piano gravely.

". . . I don't want to play anymore." Ciel swallowed hard, closing the lid herself where it collided with a sharp clash. She shook her head and closed her eyes to try and relieve herself, but it wasn't helping.

"Are you alright?" Claude asked; his hand traced under Ciel's jawline, each digit savoring the smooth touch. He leaned in close till his breath tickled her ear and a shiver rippled through.

"I'm fine." Ciel exclaimed with a shudder, about to withdraw from the touch. Claude frowned disapprovingly and suddenly grasped the teen's chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"You're not." Claude remarked sternly, "but I'll make you feel better." he insisted and instantly claimed Ciel's mouth. Ciel squeaked indistinctly and would've collapsed if Claude didn't have his other arm to support her upright.

Ciel attempted to pull away, but Claude held her securely, though not too firm as he continued to enthrall her. Claude lightly pushed her against the piano; her back arched and slumped down. In her mind Ciel wanted this to stop, but her body was shamelessly giving in to the man's lust and had no control.

Her body pressed down onto the cool surface of the piano and Claude now hovered over her. Ciel panted heavily, closing her eyes and felt Claude's lips meeting her neck and his hands caressing her arms. His placidity was bringing Ciel deeper into submission and she hated it. She shouldn't allow this man to take advantage of her like this, even if this was her fiancé. She didn't belong to him and no one could tell her otherwise.

_Smack!_

The sharp impact resounded deeply, cutting through the air with profound force. Ciel's hand was trapped in midair, trembling from the action it evoked. Claude's face was thrown to the side, revealing a light red mark upon the cheek where Ciel had promptly slapped him. Ciel didn't dare witness Claude's reaction as he remained immobilized in front of her, not making any response whatsoever. His eyes focused on another direction, anger was building up crucially as his calmness finally subsided. Dread sunk in the teen, paralyzing ever sense and her mind blanked.

Time had slowed down for who knows how long, but when it resumed, Ciel jolted and she flung herself off the piano, toppling to the floor. She clambered to her feet, the high heels clashing into the marble as she broke into a run. She burst out of the ballroom, running as fast as she could muster.

_I need to get out of here!_ Ciel screamed to herself over and over, knowing that Claude was going to chase after her. Adrenaline pulsated through her veins as she rushed down the corridor. Her eyes shifted from right to left hastily, searching in desperation for the way out.

There was no telling how much trouble she was going to be in, what consequences she was going to face. But right now she didn't care and all that mattered was getting away. Her mind was racing so fast that she couldn't think properly, nor pay attention to where she was going. Her chest was hurting and she was struggling to breath properly as she wheezed. Beads of sweat dribbled down her intensely pale face and she was sure she was going to breakdown. However, she kept pushing herself to keep going, no matter how tired and weak she felt.

Her breathing was becoming irregular and her body was starting to slow. She begged herself to keep going as tears stung her eyes, nearly blurring her vision. She finally entered the foyer, but then an arm grabbed her and she nearly screamed.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Ciel swirled her head to find that it was only Alois. Ciel sighed in relief, placing a hand over her heaving chest. But she couldn't keep her hopes up as she focused desperately on the doors.

"I need to go." Ciel urged, pulling her arm from Alois's grasp.

Alois peered closely at the shaken teen and drew back. "You're awfully pale, what happened?"

"I don't have time to explain, I need to go." Ciel proclaimed, stepping back a few feet from the baffled teen.

"Wha—" Before Alois could get further explanation, the sound of rushing feet alerted the two. Ciel's heart drummed loudly in her ears and she gave Alois a frightful look that left the teen more puzzled. She then took off in a run again, despite that everything was hurting and she was bound to collapse.

"Wait!" Alois yelled, but Ciel ignored him as she threw open the doors and disappeared into the night.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks again for the support, stay tune for the last chapter to Glass Bird~  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Last chapter guys~ sorry that this was a short fic, it did start out as just a oneshot so I didn't have much in mind when I wrote it. But either way, I had fun writing and hope you guys had a good time reading. Now one more thing since I'm feeling a bit skeptical, please be sure to read the whole chapter till the end. Something happens in the middle of this chap that I'm fairly sure would make some of you want to stop reading. So read till the end so you're not throwing tomatoes at me without finishing. Thank you, enjoy~**

* * *

The wind howled as they violently slammed into the trees, plunging them against the tremendous force of the storm. The snow swarm in turbulent waves, shrouding everything in a dense mist of white that was obscurely seen. The sky was tainted in sheer darkness with no evidence of the moon's light, but only the ominous clouds to encase everything. The wind kept thrashing, cutting through the bare trees that were flung all over the place. Snow drowned the countryside, sticking to the already dead grass as winter revealed its harshest side.

Ciel struggled her way through the whipping winds and thick snow. The snowfall practically blinded her as she wandered aimlessly. She didn't have the slightest clue where she was going. Ciel had discarded the heavy jewelry, abandoning the precious gems in the snow where they were swiftly covered. Her hair flew in disarray, swirling with the frenzied wind. Her mass of a dress tossed and turned as she ran through the snow, but her legs finally gave in.

Ciel fell to her knees, hissing at the pain scorching through her feet from the shoes. She tore off the heels and tossed them straight into the ice. She then huddled her arms together, rubbing them hastily to try and gain some warmth, glancing wearily at her surroundings. It was hard to see due to snowfall, but amongst all the wrought whites and grays, was a chapel seated in the distance.

Ciel heaved herself up, whimpering in immense pain each time she took the smallest step. The snow stung her bare feet, wrapping them in a bitter embrace. Her legs quaked; ready to collapse once more, but Ciel strained herself greatly to keep going.

When Ciel finally reached the thick wooden doors of the chapel, she pushed herself in and nearly toppled over. The doors screeched open but Ciel quickly shut them once she got in. She blocked the cold out and was now welcomed by the chilling ambiance of the chapel.

The chapel was old and abandoned, locked in a ramshackle state with cracks along the stone walls and roof, as if it was about to break at any given time. The stained glass windows provided little light in the small chapel, spilling a vague shine onto the dirty floorboard and the wooden pews.

Ciel crawled herself onto one of the pews and laid down upon the smooth but cold surface. She positioned herself on her side, using her forearm as a pillow as she closed her eyes. It was utterly quiet in the chapel saved for the teen's ragged breathing. Nevertheless she was safe, and soon she was falling into slumber as exhaustion took its tool.

The gentle echoes of footsteps then followed, but Ciel had already drifted off to hear. The storm outside was dying down and drops of snow fell upon the stained glass, depicting as tears trailing down the faces of saints and angels.

A black-gloved hand gently picked up Ciel's limp one, pressing warm lips upon the numb skin. Sebastian knelt in front of the sleeping teen, watching with softened eyes that reflected off of the light coming from the stained glass window parallel to them.

The window depicted the patroness of musicians, Saint Cecilia playing on a harpsichord with cherubs surrounding her. The lurid colors of the window were a vast contrast to the crumbling wall. The storm had culminated and now the moon had risen from the clouds, dipping a milky white shine through the window and embraced itself around the still figures.

Sebastian stayed in the kneeled position for a while, watching as Ciel finally relaxed. Her labored breathing now slowed as her chest rose up and down steadily. Sebastian reached over to lightly touch her face, his thumb casually made small circles around the fading blush on the cold skin. Then he replaced the thumb with his lips that softly stroked, delivering comfort to the sleeping teen who was far off in slumber.

Sebastian slipped off his jacket and placed it over Ciel. She subconsciously snuggled in the jacket before staying motionless once more against the pew. A small sigh of relief parted her lips, causing Sebastian to smile just slightly, but his concern didn't falter. Sebastian picked up Ciel and sat himself down on the pew, holding her securely in his arms. He closed his eyes as well and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. Simple and short, but showed compassion to the sickened teen in his arms. Sebastian refused to leave her again, especially in this weakened state.

"Ciel," he said softly, wanting to wake her to know he was here to comfort her. To know that she was safe and he'll do his best to keep her alive. Sebastian gently patted Ciel's cheek a few times to bring her attention.

Ciel's eyes soon creaked open, drowsiness claiming her vision for a moment. When her mind cleared, she saw Sebastian and a weak smile curved on her lips. Ciel reached up a quivering hand, wondering if this was a dream. She gasped subtly when she was able to touch his face and tears started to collect in her eyes.

"You're here . . ." Ciel mumbled gratefully, "You're really here . . ."

Sebastian smiled back, though it was small and almost hard to notice. He gave Ciel a nod of acknowledgment before bending over to give her a kiss—

_Creak! _

The old wooden doors swung open in a sharp screech. Instinctively, Sebastian brought Ciel to the ground, ducking under the pew. He covered her with both the jacket and himself as a shadow loomed athwart. A pair of dark boots then followed and proceeded down the aisle. Ciel recognized the boots immediately and her stomach churned.

"It's Claude." Ciel whispered in trepidation and her breathing grew rigid again, unable to control it. Sebastian covered Ciel's mouth and they sunk deeper within the pew.

"I know you're here." Claude said quietly, the way he spoke in such a calm tone was unnerving. "There's no need to hide, I only want to talk, my dear."

Ciel and Sebastian watched as Claude's feet crossed steadily around the pews. He didn't look down to see which one Ciel was hiding under; he just calmly walked and waited for his fiancée to come out. His walking spoke steady composure, no haste necessary as he wandered the small chapel casually. It was as if the incident back at his manor didn't happen, but that's what made this situation even more disquieting. Ciel gulped heavily and Sebastian pulled her closer to him to maintain her security.

"My dear?" Claude inquired, his feet crossed back to the front of the chapel, coming across the pew that the duo were hiding under, but Claude didn't bother to look under still. Instead, he continued his wandering, taking the smallest and diligent of steps across the old, dirty floorboard.

Sebastian also held to Ciel's hand, squeezing it to assure her and hoping that Claude would go away. But the man was staying, knowing full well that Ciel was here and he wasn't going to leave. Claude's feet finally stopped; now back over to the altar with the heels facing away from the entrance. The doors were still open, shoving in the bitter cold of winter as the winds blew and whistled lowly, carrying snow before letting it fall.

Claude didn't move from his spot at the altar, nor did he say anything else. He just waited till Ciel finally gave in, having enough of cowering. She was about to pull herself up, but Sebastian snatched her arm.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian hissed.

"I can't hide anymore," Ciel mumbled, pulling herself from Sebastian's reach and rose herself to her feet.

"Ci—"

"Ah, there you are." Claude greeted, smiling generously to his fiancée. He took a few small steps forward down the aisle. Ciel was at the far end, hand pressed to the pew that she was just under. Her hand was sweaty as it held to the pew, easily slipping off the wood.

"Why don't we go back to the manor and I make you some tea? It's not good being out here in such harsh weather." Claude suggested; taking another small step closer, heels clicking and tapping in an unsettling rhythm.

Ciel swallowed hard, gaining enough pride to finally say quietly: "I won't."

Claude halted, now standing just a few feet away from the teen. Those words didn't surprise him as his smile now ceased and eyes peered threateningly. A surge of fear rushed though Ciel as she saw those glaring eyes, but she continued speaking.

"I . . .I want you to take me back home, and. . . I want you to call off the wedding. I can't marry you, Claude." While she talked, Ciel slid off the engagement ring and let it drop to the floor. The diamond broke off, shattering to hundreds of tiny pieces. That only infuriated Claude further.

Claude exhaled sharply, running his fingers through his hair, brushing it back before the bangs came forth. "You're such a disrespectful little brat. I did my best to show you hospitality, even keeping that promise that I swore to you. But now you've left me with no other choice, _my dear_." Claude hissed the last words and then reached into his coat, pulling out a particular object. Ciel's blood ran cold when she saw that the object was a gun.

"Y—you're insane." Ciel shakily took a step back, nearly tripping over her feet. Her mind was screaming for her to run, but she couldn't move a single muscle as the gun was aimed at her.

"And you're not?" Claude inquired, "I could've given you so much: fortune, jewels, art, anything you wanted. But you've shoved it all away."

"I don't care about any of that!" Ciel found the will to yell as her voice boomed and bounced amongst the old stone walls. "I don't care about riches or reputations or anything. All my life I've been forced to obey under strict rules by my parents, not being able to just be myself. Now they want me to marry you, but you're just going to treat me like some doll!"

Claude clicked his tongue and shook his head, feigning sympathy. "Oh, how awful," Claude sardonically said, "Life is just so hard for you, isn't it? Perhaps death would be more proper." Claude's finger reached for the trigger and Ciel stiffened entirely.

_Crash! _

Stained glass shot out of their frames and smashed to the ground in a grand spectrum. Swift shadows branched throughout the floorboard and climbed up the walls, blocking any source of light from interfering. The doors bolted shut with a profound force that nearly shook the entire building.

The sheer darkness blinded Claude as he searched frantically for light. Then he paused when he heard the beating of wings expand as the sound soared towards him. Before he knew it, Claude was staring at a pair of large, blood red eyes. The eyes glowed brightly in the dark, a haunting sight to behold, an image that was seen in nightmares. He stared wordlessly into those foreboding eyes and couldn't avert. Before any thoughts could register, Claude's throat was caught by a dark talon and was thrown against the altar.

Blood rushed down Claude's head and his mind blurred momentarily. He steadied himself to his feet, maintaining his balance as he held to the altar for support. When he adjusted himself, he saw the mysterious being steadying towards him. Claude smeared off the blood and glared at the creature as he aimed the gun. He ignored the aching pain in his head as he ruthlessly shot at the creature. Bright white lights flared out fleetingly, but it didn't affect it. Nonetheless, Claude shot again and again, springing out multiple lights all over the place to disperse the darkness.

"What the hell is this!?" Claude demanded, but only had his head thrown back against the rough stone surface of the altar again. He gasped and finally lost grip of the gun as it clattered noisily to the floor.

"Wha—what are—" Claude choked, spitting out incoherent words as the talon squeezed and ripped through his skin. He wheezed and thrashed about in the overpowering hold, but it only deepened the pressure. Claude threw an arm out to toss a punch, but a shadow wrapped around the arm, and then lithely crawled to the shoulder, till finally joining the talon as the shadow bound itself tightly around the neck.

A sharp, mutilated crack emitted as Claude's neck snapped. Blood leaked down the altar in thin, dark lines that tainted the stone and then the floor. Claude's body followed as it slumped down with his head nearly sliding off his neck. When Sebastian had return to his human form, he kicked Claude's body till he was faced down in the puddle of his own blood.

The moon's rays broke through the shattered windows, returning light to the quiet building. The light spilled onto Claude's body, making the blood glisten as it tainted the floor. The light also dripped onto another figure sprawled on the other side of the chamber.

"Ciel!" Sebastian yelled, whirling over to Ciel who was clutching her stomach and wheezing heavily. Sebastian hurried to her side, sweeping her in his arms and stared in shock when he released her blood-soaked hand. Ciel had been shot. Sebastian anxiously patted her paling cheek before blurred eyes cracked open. Ciel's breathing hitched, her heart struggling to gain oxygen as she tried to speak. Looking up with tiresome eyes that were striving to stay open.

"I. . .I'm sorry. . ." Ciel managed, each word was a raw effort to exchange. "I'm sorry . . .I. . .I shouldn't have. . .told you to leave. . ."

"Don't apologize," Sebastian urged, holding to her securely, pressing a hand to her stomach to stop the blood from flowing out. "This is my fault . . .this is my fault . . ."

"Se—Seb. . ." Ciel reached out a quivering hand and lend it to the man's cheek. "Don't blame yourself . . .please . . .I . . .I. . .want to sleep now."

"Don't say that, you're going to be fine. " Sebastian assured, keeping his hand firm over the wound, but the blood was leaking through the gaps of his fingers. His glove was entirely stained with her blood now. "Just stay awake for me, please. Just stay awake."

"It hurts," Ciel strained, weakly lacing her fingers around his and tried to keep hold. "It hurts . . .so much."

"Ciel . . ." Sebastian squeezed her hand in desperation.

"Please," Ciel begged, hot tears stung her cheeks and everything was becoming so cold. "It's . . .so painful . . . please . . . stop the pain . . .please . . . " She whimpered, her voice starting to fade. "I want . . .to sleep."

Sebastian stared deeply in Ciel's sorrowful eyes. The lights in her irises were dimming out as they were about to close for the last time. He softly caressed her cheek, drying off the tears before bending down to kiss her on the lips. Easing the pain that has engraved her for so long as he swallowed her final breath.

x~x~x~x~x

A black carriage driven by black horses pulled up to the walkway of the Phantomhive manor. It wasn't snowing, nor raining, but dense gray clouds enveloped the sky, only allowing a small ounce of light from the morning sun to pass through. Sebastian stepped down from the carriage as he donned a thick overcoat and hat. He walked over to the manor with his head down and softly knocked on the door.

Meyrin quickly answered the door; "Yes?" her usual happy demeanor suddenly vanished when she saw the mysterious man in the black coat. She was taken aback and she frowned slightly, unable to react.

"May I please speak to Mr. and Mrs. Phantomhive please?" Sebastian asked calmly.

"S—sure," Meyrin stammered, taking another moment to stare peculiarly at the man before walking off briskly to catch the Phantomhives. When Rachel and Vincent got to the door, they froze as well, first eyeing the dark carriage and the dark man standing before them.

Sebastian took off his hat and bowed his head respectfully to the two. "Mr. and Mrs. Phantomhive . . .my name's Sebastian, I'm a friend of Ciel, but we've never met."

"Di—did something happen?" Rachel asked; she was staying close to her husband's side, holding his arm. Sebastian raised himself and locked eye contact with Rachel; crimson meeting heavenly blue. Ciel had her eyes.

Sebastian broke the contact and bowed his head again, increasing his grip on the brim of his hat. He gave himself a moment to compose himself as he focused on the ground first before looking back at the parents. He spoke so softly it was as if the whistling winds were speaking instead.

". . . Ciel didn't want to be with Claude anymore since he wasn't treating her right. She ran away from his manor last night and came to me for help. She was sure that he was going to hurt her for running away, so I did my best to try and protect her. However, Claude found us and . . .I—" Sebastian stopped himself when he saw the dread in Rachel's and Vincent's eyes, the dread was plummeting in him as well. He had to force himself to turn away, focusing his attention back on the ground. "I'm sincerely sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Phantomhive . . .I couldn't—"

"Ci—Ciel," Vincent cut in, staring wide-eyed at Sebastian before grabbing the man's coat with shaken knuckles, his composure was staggering but he didn't care. "Wh—where is she? Where is Ciel?"

Sebastian lightly pulled Vincent off and took a step back. He exhaled, closing his eyes as he spoke again, "She's gone. . .I. . .couldn't save her."

All the color drained from the Phantomhives, shocked as the words sunk in. Vincent then furiously shook his head, fighting inside to collect himself as he gritted his teeth.

"Tha—that can't be true. Who the hell do you think you are telling us this horrible thing!?" Vincent hollered in front of Sebastian, but the man kept his calmness afloat and gestured to the carriage.

"She's also in there." Sebastian said gravely.

Vincent's anger dispersed, replacing it with dismay when he saw the dark carriage again. His legs moved on their own as he staggered towards it while Rachel stayed motionless. Vincent shakily opened the door to find his worst fear realized.

Rachel nearly forgot how to breathe when she saw her daughter's body in Vincent's arms. Vincent didn't make it far for his legs gave way and he slumped to the ground, holding tightly to Ciel. A dignified man now entirely crumbled and lost. Rachel wobbled over before collapsing next to Vincent and touched Ciel's face.

"Sweetie?" Rachel asked quietly, her body trembling, "Ciel, dear, please wake up." She patted her, moving from her face and to her hand, trying to ignore how frightfully cold she was. "Wake up, please. Oh God . . .please, wake up. Please!" Rachel burst, losing control of herself as she wept.

Her cries alerted some of the servants and they came rushing to the entrance. They halted when they saw Vincent and Rachel holding Ciel and crying. The worst pain parents could go through was outliving their child.

x~x~x~x~x

The Phantomhives cut their ties with the Faustuses, no matter how many times Mr. and Mrs. Faustus apologized. They didn't know that he would ever kill or even hurt someone for that matter. They also didn't know that Claude was killed as well since Sebastian only mentioned Ciel. Sebastian discarded Claude's body somewhere else to rot, he didn't want it to be found by anyone. The Faustuses wanted to attend Ciel's funeral to pay their respects, but the Phantomhives immediately refused. They were entirely outraged and shunned the family, never to speak to them again.

The funeral was on the day that Ciel was supposed to marry. Friends and family gathered at the cemetery, wearing all black while Ciel wore a simple white dress. Her small hands folded over the spot where she was shot. She was also holding a bouquet of white flowers and wore a thin pearl necklace with a silver cross.

Her white casket slowly drifted into the ground and was soon being piled up with a mixture of dirt and snow. Lizzy was the most torn as she covered her face, hugging her mom as she sobbed hysterically. Frances rubbed her daughter's back, attempting to fight back tears but they broke through no matter how much she tried.

Rachel and Vincent held hands as they stood the closest to the hole. They glanced down with bowed heads, struggling to keep themselves together. Their grip tightened as the hole finally filled up in what seemed like an excruciating long process. Finally, Rachel broke down again as Vincent comforted her.

Sebastian observed from afar, standing on top of a hill that overlooked the cemetery. A black cloak wrapped around him, concealing a majority of his slender body. He was paler than ever and his eyes were weary after struggling so much to save at least one life. It was the only life he wholeheartedly cared about. Ciel wanted her pain to end though, and he was able to grant it, but it was too early for her to go. Now she was performing music for the angels.

The snow kept falling at a steady descant, sprinkling the ground with light touches. Sebastian stood there till he was the only one left in the area. Finally, he turned around, and in a flurry of black feathers; he disappeared into the clouded sky.

x~x~x~x~x

_118 years later _

The soft tone of a bell rung at the moment the shop door swung open. The spring wind brushed into the antique shop that was lavished with many extraordinary articles. The red paneled walls were coated with tall oak shelves and the floor was nearly filled with opulent furniture. It was a small shop, but it housed so much that it could take forever to look at everything.

The shop owner sitting behind the counter smiled warmly to the newcomers. Long gray bangs covered his eyes, but his wide smile was enough to show how jovial he was.

"Welcome, please look around." The man said with a soft chuckle, leaning over the glass counter eagerly. His elbows propped on the surface, cupping his pale chin in his palms.

The teens gave the man odd looks before they surveyed the shop. One teen walked over to one of the shelves, glancing up at the small porcelain figurines of children and animals. They were crafted elegantly and were painted with so much detail it was as if they could come to life.

"Doll, look at these!" The teen exclaimed, turning to her friend who was examining a grandfather clock. Doll swirled over to see what she was called for. Her friend picked up a small figurine of a dancer.

"This one looks like you." The teen remarked jokingly, holding the figurine up so Doll could get a closer look.

"Be careful with that!" The shop owner suddenly exclaimed, pointing a slender finger at the teens with warning. "Consult me or my assistant first if you want to touch anything."

"Sorry," the teen gulped and placed the dancer figurine back on the shelf, backing away a safe distance.

Doll returned to check the other antiques while her friend glossed over at the shelves. She moved from the figurines, sliding herself over till she was in front of a wooden carved nightstand. Sitting on top of a floral tablecloth was a music box with a glass bird perched on a branch. The teen paused to peer at the music box curiously, pursing her lips as she tilted her head. For some reason this item interested her the most, but she didn't know why.

"Ah!" The shop owner suddenly appeared before the teen, giving her a small jump. "This is one of my most valuable antiques, it used to belong to a marquis."

"A marquis?" The teen echoed; her eyes couldn't stray from the box. From the glass bird perched on the looped branch, to the actual box that bore the tiny silver knob, it was a charming looking antique to observe.

"Yes, everything here is quite valuable, they're practically jewels. "The shop owner continued, chuckling unnecessarily and giving the teen another awkward vibe from him.

"Can I turn it on?" The teen asked politely, she glanced with curtsey at the cheerful shop owner.

"Of course, dearie." The shop owner nodded.

The teen gently picked up the music box, tilted to the side and twisted the tiny knob just slightly before a soft melody was produced. It rung in the air tenderly, chiming a poignant tune that made the teen smile. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place where she could've heard it from. It moved her nonetheless; it made her feel like she could drift into a trance.

"Oh!" Doll suddenly gasped, looking at her wristwatch and swooped in to grab her friend's arm. "We're going to be late for the movie, Ciel!"

"Wha—" Ciel stammered as she was suddenly dragged. "W—wait I need to put the music box away!" She exclaimed, promptly stopping Doll who slid at the foot of the entrance.

"I'll wait for you outside!" Doll called and rushed out, tapping on her wristwatch to remind Ciel that they had to hurry. Ciel sighed, why did Doll decide to drag her here then? Ciel shook her head and took another curious glance at the music box before returning it. The melody was starting to end.

Just when Ciel was about to leave, an alluring voice rung in her ears. "Have a nice day."

Ciel turned and caught a glimpse of the shop owner's assistant. He was a young man with wine colored eyes and ebony hair that framed his face. The man smiled to her, a captivating one that left her mesmerized and confused.

Ciel slowly nodded, entranced for just a moment but finally managed to open the door. She gave a small smile in return before leaving, and the melody from the music box finally ended.

* * *

**A/N: And that's Glass Bird, please tell me your reactions, feedbacks, criticisms, anything at all. I'd like to know your thoughts, especially since this is the last chap. Was the ending satisfying or do you still want to throw tomatoes at me? *dodges an incoming tomato* Hehe. . .well, for this kind of fic, I couldn't exactly give it a really happy ending, I had to make it bittersweet, but at least I ended it on some kind of light note. Seb is working part time at an antique shop run by Undertaker and another Ciel drops by during modern times. **

**Sorry again that it was short, luckily I'm working on another fic called Artificial Lives that's going to be much longer, so please check that out. It's probably going to be my biggest fic so I'd like to get some feedback. Thank you all for reading, favoriting, alerting, stuff like that. If you have any questions, just review or PM. Once again, thank you all :)**


	14. Author's Note

**A/N: Hi again, this is the last author's note for this fic, but I'd like to announce that there will be a sequel to Glass Bird. However, it'll take a while for me to write it since I'm taking a break from writing fics. I'm going to be busy soon, so the sequel won't be out for quite some time. **

**I know I've tried doing a sequel before, but it didn't work out too well, but this one has the potential for a continuation and I'll make sure it works this time. The sequel won't be straightforward and it certainly won't be a repeat. There will be twists and some dark elements, but probably not as much as in Glass Bird. Then again, it'll be awhile till I work on it and certain ideas may change. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to give me some if you'd like. And just to clarify about the last chap, Ciel was reincarnated, I guess I wasn't too clear about that. **

** Thank you all again, and I'll get the sequel up as soon as I'm able too :) **


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